Ayala Foundation, FILCOLS inks agreement for secondary use of copyrighted works

 

Ayala Foundation, FILCOLS inks agreement for secondary use of copyrighted works

 

Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI) and the Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS) signed a license agreement at the Ground Floor Lobby of the Ayala Museum in Makati City on Nov. 25.

The agreement, a first in Philippine publishing history, will provide easy and legal access for the re-use of copyrighted publications like books, journals, and newspapers via large-scale digital and photocopying inside the Ayala Museum and the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL). Both entities are under the Arts and Culture Division of AFI.

Established in 1961, AFI is the social development arm of the Ayala Corporation and is a member of the Ayala group of companies. The foundation aims to improve the lives of Filipinos through its innovative programs for education, leadership, livelihood, arts, and culture.

The Ayala Museum is located at the heart of the country’s Central Business District at the corner of Makati Avenue and De la Rosa Street. It houses collections on Philippine history, art, garments, ceramics, and maritime vessels. Among its famous permanent exhibitions are The Diorama Experience which features significant events in the country’s history, A Millennium of Contact which displays more than 500 ceramics to show the country’s more than a thousand years of contact with neighboring countries, and Gold of Ancestors which showcases gold objects testifying to the pre-colonial goldsmiths’ skill and artistry.

FHL is “a one-stop electronic research center on the Philippines” which gives patrons “access to the wealth of Filipino heritage through the latest in information technology and telecommunications.” With more than 13,000 contemporary books mainly on social sciences plus thousands of rare materials, FHL intends to satisfy the demands of researchers and library visitors.

FILCOLS Trustees with DepEd officials.

FILCOLS is the accredited collective management organization (CMO) for printed works in the Philippines. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) recognized FILCOLS as the CMO in the text and image sector in 2014 after passing the standards set in the government’s guidelines for CMO accreditation.

In support of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Transparency, Accountability, and Good Governance (TAG) Initiative of CMOs, FILCOLS held its first Board meeting of the year at the IPOPHL conference room with the presence of its senior officials.

Last year’s FILCOLS Board meeting was conducted with IPOPHL’s new director general Josephine R. Santiago in attendance.

FILCOLS provides the publishing industry with supplementary remuneration from the license fees it collects from institutions for the secondary use of copyrighted works. FILCOLS gets its mandate from authors, publishers, and heirs via non-exclusive assignment of reproduction rights. This means the copyright owners authorize FILCOLS to manage the re-use of their works by negotiating with institutions like businesses and schools.

Based on a freely negotiated contract, the FILCOLS license allows institutions to reproduce large portions of books and other printed materials beyond the 5% fair use set in the Fair Use Guidelines.

In 2014, the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP) crafted its Fair Use Guidelines for the publishing industry following the amendment of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.

Established in 1979, BDAP is the country’s largest book industry association. It organizes the annual Manila International Book Fair and gives out the biennial Gintong Aklat awards.

True to its pioneering spirit, AFI took the lead in showing respect to authors and other copyright owners by partnering with FILCOLS and signing the license agreement. A small license fee will be paid on a two-year period for the mass reproduction of works at the Ayala Museum and FHL. The remuneration will then be distributed to righstholders after deducting FILCOLS’s administration costs.

The agreement was signed by AFI’s senior director and chief finance Officer Romualdo “Aldy” L. Katigbak and senior director for arts and culture Maria Elizabeth “Mariles” L. Gustilo. New chair Dr. Jose “Butch” Y. Dalisay Jr. signed for FILCOLS.

Witnesses for the agreement were FHL senior manager Suzanne Yupangco, FILCOLS trustees Mariano “Marne” L. Kilates, Dr. John Jack Wigley, Dr. Rebecca “Becky” Añonuevo, Beverly “Bebang” W. Siy, and executive director Alvin J. Buenaventura.

FILCOLS ED Alvin J. Buenaventura hands over the check to
award-winning author and Ateneo teacher Edgar Calabia "Egay" Samar.

 

The November 25 event also signaled the start of the distribution of remuneration for authors, heirs of authors, and publishers. The bulk of the license fees collected by FILCOLS were from the Department of Education (DepEd) for the re-use of Filipino works in the learning resources for Grades 2, 3, 8, and 9.

Aside from the license fees collected from DepEd, FILCOLS also distributed remuneration it received from its sister societies abroad. Australia’s Copyright Agency-Viscopy and the Copyright Licensing and Administration Society of Singapore (CLASS) remitted to FILCOLS, on various dates, remuneration for Filipino works used by their licensees.

American missionaries and authors Dennis and Diane Teague.

Under Australian and Singaporean copyright law, institutions must pay license fees for the re-use, through large-scale digital and photocopying, of books, journals, newspapers, and websites. Under these institutions are schools, universities, technical vocational (tech-voc) or polytechnic, businesses, government, and other organizations.

Best-selling author Francisco Colayco.

Present during the event “FILCOLS Distribution for Rightsholders and Partnership with Ayala Foundation” were the following rightsholders:

1.          Rosa and Claro Lorredo, heirs of folklorist Damiana Eugenio

2.          Francisco J. Colayco, author and founder of Colayco Foundation for Education, Inc.

3.          Joseph Voltaire “Volt” L. Contreras, journalist, Philippine Daily Inquirer

4.          Dennis and Diane Teague, authors published by New Day and American missionaries at         Mission Concepts

5.          Ronald Verzo, president of Balangay Productions

6.          Edgar Calabia “Egay” Samar, author and faculty at the Ateneo de Manila University

7.          Tina Balagtas, Central Book Supply

8.          Fr. Dennis Tamayo and Ronald Laurio, Claretian Communication Foundation, Inc. as                representatives of deceased Australian author Bro. Peter McCraken

9.          Pemar Ureta, New Day Publishers

10.       Vic De Guzman, Sinag-tala Publishers, Inc.

 

Rose Lorredo, heir of folklorist Damiana Eugenio.

Also present were: government representatives Joselito Asi, Sharon Buti, and Luz Ferraren from the Department of Education; and Jerommel Angeles and Jaynard Estevez, Technological Institute of the Philippines student staffers at TIP-Voice.

 

Other rightsholders who received remuneration but were unable to physically attend the event were: Inquirer columnists Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz, Ceres P. Doyo, Manuel L. Quezon III, Donna Pazzibugan, award-winning author Lualhati Bautista, and Jesuit author Fr. Bert Alejo.

 

Inquirer journalist Volt Contreras.

Members of the Young Intellectual Property Advocates (YIPA) from the Manila Science High School also witnessed the event. They were: Maria Danielle Adel Bautista, Jullian Clare Creus, Marielle Selena Dating, Ezekiel Mark Flores, Juanito Fuellas, Marjun Antonette Ilagan, Kyla Patricia Labayan, Jihee Lee, Gerard Lubi, Seijiro Ogata, Karl Mchaile Pablo, Marion Emmanuel Paguia. They were accompanied by teacher Preciosa Bautista.

FILCOLS members: authors, heirs of authors, and publishers with the Board of Trustees.

FILCOLS was established in 2008 by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, National Book Development Board, Book Development Association of the Philippines, and the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. Its founding chair was National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario.

The newly elected trustees are Jose "Butch" Y. Dalisay Jr. (chair), Ricky Lee, Karina Bolasco, John Jack Wigley, Beverly W. Siy, Marne Kilates, and Jose Paolo Sibal.

Text by Alvin J. Buenaventura.  Photos by AJB and Ronald Verzo. Text and photos may be re-posted as long as the authors are acknowledged.

Inadequate government support blamed for plight of Philippine higher education

The combined research output of the top ten Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) at 11,528 will not even come close to the output of the National University of Singapore with 100,893. “That’s just one university in the city-state,” according to Dr. Tereso S. Tullao Jr.

Dr. Tereso S. Tullao Jr. explaining the role of education in the development process.

A National Book winner and economics professor at the De La Salle University Manila, Tullao was speaking before stakeholders gathered at one of the parallel workshops on the second day of the Philippine Education Summit 2016.

Tullao shocking the audience with data and reminding them not to be complacent.

Tullao added that while he is happy to know that his alma mater, the University of the Philippines Diliman, leads the pack with 3,060 when it comes to the research productivity of HEIs in the country; and that DLSU Manila follows UP Diliman with 2,056, he is also confronted with the sad plight of Philippine HEIs in comparison to its neighbors.

CHED executive director Atty. Julito D. Vitriolo (foreground, right) listens to Dr. Tullao.

University heads, scientists, former and current higher education officers were some of the participants at Workshop 8: Higher Education as Accelarator of Innovation and Inclusive Economic Prosperity held at the Taft Ballroom 2 of Conrad Hotel, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City on November 4, 2016.

The participants were divided into three groups. Group 1: Dr. Tullao shares a point with Atty. Vitriolo and UP president Dr. Alfredo E. Pascual

Group 1: University of the East president Dr. Ester A. Garcia shares her thoughts.

Along with 500 delegates, FILCOLS executive director AlvinJ. Buenaventura was one of the stakeholders invited to the two-day education summit. He is the only representative of the book industry in Workshop 8.

The other HEIs with their corresponding research outputs are UP Los Baños with1,923, UP Manila with 1,837, Ateneo de Manila University with 839, University of Santo Tomas with 686, University of San Carlos with 378, Mindanao State University with 319, Mapua Institute of Technology with 215, and Visayas State University with 215.

Group 2: Representatives from Australian Aid and university heads of research.

Group 2: Main ideas were discussed, defended, and some were discarded.

Citing Scopus as the largest and reliable source of data on the research output of universities around the world, Tullao prodded the audience to crack their heads and contribute to the Philippine Development Plan. The suggestions are not merely for the Duterte administration but should be for the long term, even for the next administrations.

Group 3: (left) Former secretary of the Department of Science and Technology and current president of the National Academy of Science and Technology Dr. William G. Padolina led the group discussions.

Group 3: Ideas were written on blue strips of paper and arranged on the floor.

The Singaporean government’s support to their HEIs contribute greatly to their performance in terms of research output, recruitment of top faculty from around the world, scholarships for local and international students, and high-end equipment and facilities.

Established in 2007, Nanyang Technological University is ranked 13^th globally and produced 66,647 research output next to NUS. Singapore Management University, only a 16 year old-institution, produced 3,495 which is higher than UP Diliman’s output.

In terms of budget, the University of the Philippines received PHP 11 B (USD 224 M) for 2016. While the budget for all Philippine state universities and colleges (SUCs) was PHP 47 B (USD 959 M), these pale in comparison with the budget for the National University of Singapore at PHP 42 B (USD 868 M) and the Nanyang Technological University at PHP 29 B (USD 610 M). 

Dr. Napoleon K. Juanillo Jr., in his description of the workshop as its moderator, highlighted the importance of higher education as one of the major drivers of economic competitiveness. He is the director for the Office of Planning, Research & Knowledge Management at the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Juanillo said “due to the remarkable speed and dynamism in the knowledge-driven global economy…CHED shall advocate for purposive investments that steer career interest towards science, technology, engineering, agri-fisheries, and mathematics which are the building blocks of the knowledge economy.”

In her opening remarks, CHED chair Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan said that the commission views its role as setting the agenda, strategies, and facilities to strengthen the so-called “triple helix” of government, academe, and industry as growth accelerators.

The Philippine Education Summit 2016 was jointly convened by the country’s top education agencies: Department of Education (DepEd) which handles basic education and alternative learning systems (ALS), CHED which handles HEIs including SUCs, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) which handles technical-vocational (tech-voc) education. Main support was provided by the Australian Aid Basic Education Sector Transformation (BEST).

Text and photos by Alvin J. Buenaventura. This may be re-posted as long as the author is acknowledged.

Ayala Foundation, FILCOLS celebrate Philippine Book Development Month 2016

The Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS) and Ayala Foundation will celebrate Philippine Book Development Month 2016 with a simple event from 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday, 25 November at the Ground Floor Lobby, Ayala Museum, Makati City.

“FILCOLS Distribution for Rightsholders and Partnership with Ayala Foundation” will signal the start of distribution of remuneration for authors, heirs of authors, and publishers. The bulk of the license fees collected by FILCOLS were from the Department of Education (DepEd) for the re-use of Filipino works in the learning resources for Grades 2, 3, 8, and 9. 

Recognizing the need to support Filipino authors and other copyright owners, Ayala Foundation, a revered name among corporate foundations, will sign a licensing agreement with FILCOLS for the secondary use of works through mass digital and photocopying inside the Filipinas Heritage Library and the Ayala Museum. A small license fee will be paid on a two-year period which will then be distributed to righstholders after deducting FILCOLS’s administration costs.

Established in 1961 and renamed in 1990, Ayala Foundation is the social development arm of the Ayala Corporation. Committed to improve the lives of Filipinos, Ayala Foundation embarked on innovative programs for education, leadership, livelihood, arts, and culture.

FILCOLS is the government accredited collective management organization (CMO) in the text and image sector. FILCOLS supports the publishing industry by licensing the secondary use of copyrighted works for mass uses inside institutions.

Aside from the license fees collected from DepEd, FILCOLS will also distribute remuneration it received from its sister societies abroad. Australia’s Copyright Agency-Viscopy and the Copyright Licensing and Administration Society of Singapore (CLASS) remitted to FILCOLS, on various dates, remuneration for Filipino works used by their licensees. 

Under Australian and Singaporean copyright law, institutions must pay license fees for the re-use, through large-scale digital and photocopying, of books, journals, newspapers, and websites. Under these institutions are schools, universities, technical vocational (tech-voc) or polytechnic, businesses, government, and other organizations.

FILCOLS was established in 2008 by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, National Book Development Board, Book Development Association of the Philippines, and the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. Its founding chair was National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario.

FILCOLS is currently headed by its chair Dr. Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr. Other Trustees are Ricky Lee, Karina Bolasco, Beverly Siy, Dr. Rebecca Anonuevo, Dr. John Jack Wigley, Marne Kilates, and Jose Paolo Sibal. The Secretariat is led by executive director Alvin J. Buenaventura.

Text and photos by Alvin J. Buenaventura. This may be re-posted as long as the author is acknowledged.

More than 58 percent of car parts bought online are fake, says UK expert

Kick-off activity at the start of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Week: 6th Philippine Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Summit at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City. (Photo by AJB)

Substandard car parts contribute to accidents and loss of lives in the United Kingdom as David Lowe revealed that 58% of materials bought online are fake. 

The counterfeit car parts cost the UK automotive industry GBP 28 billion (PHP 1.6 trillion). The cost does not include the loss of lives and damages as a result of use of defective car parts.

David Lowe is the head of the Intellectual Property (IP) Enforcement Capacity and Delivery of the UK Intellectual Property Office. He is one of the resource persons invited by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to grace its IPR Week celebrations which started with the 6^th Philippine Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Summit at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City on October 24, 2016.

Lowe added that the UK publishing industry also suffered as more than 100 million magazines were illegally downloaded in 2014. 

With the summit’s theme “Advocating IPR Protection and Enforcement in Governance,” IPOPHL Director General Josephine R. Santiago reported on the gains, challenges, and plans for IPR in the Philippines.

Director General Santiago highlighted the 4% growth in the filing of IP cases from 526 (2013) to 643 (2015). She also noted the 2% growth in resolved cases from 510 (2013) to 551 (2015).

The detailed IPR Action Plan 2017-2022 was presented by IPOPHL Deputy Director General Allan B. Gepty. He pointed on the need to intensify IP education in the country.

Gepty explained that aside from the IPOPHL-backed Young IP Advocates (YIPA), the agency will spearhead the expansion of IP advocates in schools and universities. These students will be included in the regular trainings and seminars on IP.

He mentioned that a policy must be made to require schools and universities to include IPR education and awareness in their curricula. The policy must be crafted by the Department of Education (DepEd) which oversees basic education and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for colleges and universities.

Director Carmen G. Peralta of IPOPHL’s Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau presented the highlights of the 4^th IP Youth Camp held in Davao City. 

To date, YIPA has inducted 85 secondary school students in its membership. The total network of schools nationwide is 27. 

Delegates from various public and private sector organizations. (l-r) two officials from the Bureau of Customs, Civil Service Commission director Ariel Villanueva and companion, Alvin J. Buenaventura, Ranielle S. Espiridion, and four officials from the Quezon City Hall. (Photo by IPOPHL staff).

In support of the IPOPHL’s IPR Week celebrations, the Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS) Executive Director AlvinJ. Buenaventura and Staff Ranielle S. Espiridion participated as delegates to the summit.

FILCOLS is the second collective management organization (CMO) accredited by the IPOPHL in 2014. The accreditation of CMOs was included in the amendments (RA 10372) to the IP Code which was enacted by then President Benigno S. Aquino in 2013.

 Text by Alvin J. Buenaventura. Photos by Alvin J. Buenaventura and IPOPHL staff Richmond A. De Leon. This may be re-posted as long as the authors are acknowledged.