Tag: piracy

Singapore – The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, or ACE, the coalition dedicated to protecting the legal ecosystem for creative content, is expanding its global reach with the addition of the first two Asia-based media and entertainment companies. This includes Thailand’s leading cable satellite TV provider True Visions as well as Hong Kong-based video streaming platform Viu. 

Now in its fifth year, ACE, which is governed by some of the most notable media giants such as Disney and Netflix, has consistently grown its global membership base. The addition of True Visions and Viu brings the coalition to a total of 39 members, with more to join in the coming weeks, said the organisation. 

Charles Rivkin, chairman of ACE and the Motion Picture Association, said, “The addition of Viu and True Visions is the beginning of an expansion to include local media companies from key markets around the world. By growing ACE’s footprint throughout the APAC region, we are building new relationships with local law enforcement authorities and other key partners in our ongoing effort to shut down piracy operations around the world.” 

Sompan Charumilinda, executive vice chairman of True Visions, said that through its membership, they want to support Thai people as they compete in a globalized marketplace by protecting their work with strong intellectual property rights stewardship. 

“We are pleased to be the first member of ACE based in Thailand and look forward to helping drive important actions in this market that will improve the piracy landscape and pave the way for a brighter future,” said Charumilinda. 

Meanwhile, Janice Lee, CEO of Viu, commented, “As one of the leading video-on-demand services offering premium Asian content, we recognize the need to address the piracy that is widespread in our markets. We are committed to ensuring that consumers move from illegal piracy sites to legal options like Viu by providing an unparalleled viewer experience and investing in the creative ecosystem. By being a part of ACE, we hope to make an even more positive impact on our consumers and the industry at large.” 

ACE is supported by a network of experts operating in high-tech investigations and law enforcement, in partnership with local governments and law enforcement agencies around the world and international organizations like Interpol and Europol, to take on the full supply chain of pirated content.

According to the organisation, its antipiracy campaign in North America has reduced the number of identified illegal streaming subscription websites from 1,400 in 2019 to slightly more than 200 today. 

According to the Global Innovation Policy Center, piracy amounts to between $29.2 billion and $71 billion annually in lost domestic revenues. 

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesia has continued to crack down on pirated and illegal streaming sites, now amounting to 3,500 of them taken down since 2019, according to the latest data from the Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) of the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA).

The data also showed traffic to all pirate sites in Indonesia was down by 75% as of January this year compared to when tracking first started in September 2019.

Matthew Cheetham, general manager at CAP, said, “Indonesia is leading the way when it comes to regulatory site blocking in the Asia Pacific region, if not the world, and the Indonesian government is to be congratulated for the strong stance they have taken in this area. Local industry is clearly benefiting from the actions, as are consumers who are not only being directed towards legitimate content, but in being blocked from accessing pirate sites, they are also protected from the serious risks that previous CAP studies shows are inherent in accessing pirate sites.”

The latest data also mirrors the latest survey from YouGov, which states that more than 50% of Indonesian consumers say that they have stopped or rarely access pirate services as a result of blocking. More importantly, 76% of Indonesian consumers say they are accessing more legal content and pirating less, and 26% say they have subscribed to legitimate sources as a result of illegal streaming sites being blocked.

Local movie producer Edwin Nazir, the chairman of Asosiasi Produser Film Indonesia (APROFI) was greatly encouraged by the ongoing blocking efforts and the positive traffic data. 

“It is through collective consciousness and continuous effort that we can stand against piracy and bring the Indonesian film industry forward,” said Nazir.

Manila, Philippines – In a new study about the online content viewing behavior of Filipinos, it was found that 49% of Filipinos online admit to using streaming piracy websites or torrent sites. The results also showed that the numbers spike to about 53% within the 25-34 age demographic.

Commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, the survey found that out of the 49% who do use streaming piracy websites or torrent sites, 47% of consumers who accessed them have cancelled their subscriptions to both local and international content services.

In comparison to neighboring countries Malaysia and Indonesia, who have seen a decline in online piracy over the past year, online piracy in the Philippines is rising. Indonesia’s YouGov survey showed a 55% reduction in Indonesians accessing piracy services while Malaysia’s found a 64% decline. 

This decline in both Malaysia and Indonesia is due to the government’s proactive piracy site blocking initiatives which has helped in the reduction of online piracy. 

Currently, the Philippine government is looking into doing the same. A bill before the Philippine Senate (Bill #497) entitled the ‘Online Infringement Act’ proposes a regulatory site blocking mechanism which would empower the authorities to ensure that ISPs take “reasonable steps to disable access to sites whenever these sites are reported to be infringing copyright or facilitating copyright infringement.”

The survey results showed that the majority of Filipinos think that these initiatives will deter the rise in online piracy with 53% of them agreeing that a “government order or law for ISPs to block piracy websites” would be the most effective.

According to Atty Teodoro Pascua, Deputy Director General, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), Filipino consumers should not patronize pirated content because of its risks and consequences. 

“The wide variety of legal services in the Philippines which provide premium entertainment content are reliable and importantly are legal. The piracy alternatives fund crime groups, put consumers at risk of malware infection and are unreliable. Piracy only benefits the criminal organizations who are behind these illegal websites.”

Neil Gane, the General Manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) also commented, encouraging the legal consumption of content.

“We are confident that Indonesia and Malaysia will rise to become market leaders in video IP protection in the region, as a result of their site-blocking strategies. We are also confident that other countries in Asia, such as the Philippines, will take note and follow suit, boosting the growth of legal consumption of Filipino and international content.”