Philippines: Intellectual Property office files blocking requests for six piracy sites

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The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) issued two requests to disable access to six domains and subdomains found pirating movies, a move that coincided with the celebration of National Anti-Piracy Month in October.

The requests were the result of complaints lodged by the Motion Pictures Association, Inc., whose member studios include Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery; to the Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Office (IEO).

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One of the requests covered the blocking of SFlix sites, namely sflix.to, sflix.se and sflix.is. The other dealt with MyFlixer sites myflixerz.to, myflixertv.to and myflixer.today. Both requests were posted on the IPOPHL website for five days starting October 24, 2024 before being sent to internet service providers on October 29 for their appropriate action, giving website owners time and due process to respond as prescribed by IPOPHL’s Memorandum Circular 2023-025 or the Rules on Voluntary Administrative Site Blocking.

Source: Complaint by MPA vs SFLIX filed by IPOPHL IEO Case No 18-2024-003

According to the MPA’s complaints, “these websites have neither authority nor permission, from the rightsholders, expressed or implied, to make available, publish, copy, print, reproduce, use, or make available for download or for streaming in any manner of any of the Rightsholders’ copyrighted works.”

The copyrighted works at issue include “Shazam!”, “Raya and the Last Dragon”, “Girls Trip”, “Day Shift”, “Jumanji: The Next Level” and “Top Gun: Maverick”, among others. The cited titles only represent “a small, non-exhaustive sample of the widespread infringement” happening on the websites.

A thorough examination of the evidence presented and the evaluation report submitted reveals that all the cited websites are hosting pirated versions of movies or TV shows, allowing users to access these illegal copies by downloading or streaming them.

Further reading

IPOPHL recommends blocking six piracy sites on Nat’l Anti-Piracy Month. Press release. October 29, 2024. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL)

Motion Pictures Association, Inc., Complainant, vs John Doe(s)/Jane Doe(s), owner and/or administrator of the pirate websites sflix.to, sflix.se and sflix.is, Respondents.  October 22, 2024.  IEO Case No. 18-2024-003. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL)

Motion Picture Association, Inc., Complainant, vs John Doe(s)/Jane Doe(s), Owner and/or Administrator of the Pirate Websites: myflixerz.to, myflixertv.to, myflixer.today, Respondent. September 30, 2024. IEO Case No. 18-2024-002. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL)

Why it matters

“By hosting pirated content and allowing users to access illegal copies through downloading or streaming, Respondents undermine the exclusive rights of Complainants,” the requests read, noting such are violations of Section 216 of Republic Act 18293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (IP Code) as amended.

The Asia Video Industry Association and the Motion Picture Association have both worked closely with Philippines regulators toward putting site blocking regulations and a standardized site blocking regimen in place.

“IPOPHL is committed to safeguard the rights of artists and the opportunities that could shape the future of the Philippine creative economy. As an ex-officio member of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council, IPOPHL is one with the nation in fighting bad actors that derail efforts in cultivating a safe creative environment for artists—an environment where our imaginations can push boundaries and where investments towards creative expressions grow and lead to new works that keep the Philippine’s creative momentum upward and moving,” said IPOPHL Deputy Director General Nathaniel S. Arevalo.

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