FILCOLS Talks about IP, Social Media, and AI at the 20th PASADO National Seminar

 

FILCOLS Talks about IP, Social Media, and AI at the 20^th PASADO National Seminar

Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS) membership officer Regina Reyna “Reg” V. Pastor explained the importance of copyright at the 20^th PASADO National Seminar held at the National Teachers College, Manila on September 22.

Pastor presented the report prepared by FILCOLS executive director Alvin J. Buenaventura before Pampelikulang Samahan ng mga Dalubguro members. This is an organization of teachers and other professionals who advocate for the effective use of film in teaching and acquiring knowledge.

“Respect for copyright is respect for the human rights of authors,” Pastor said quoting Buenaventura. We must remember that real people are behind the texts, images, music, and videos we consume offline and online. Copyright and intellectual property rights extend even to the internet.

Located in Quiapo, Manila, the National Teachers College was established in 1928.
Photo by the NTC Career Placement Office.

Public access is not the same as the public domain. Due to the developments in technology, the public can access a lot of work online. The fact that they are publicly available does not mean we can disregard IPRs.

The public domain is a law-created world for works with expired copyright and those not given copyright protection like government works. In the Philippines, the duration of copyright is the lifetime of the author plus 50 years after death. Works in the public domain are free for the public to use in whatever way they want.

Just because we can access many works online does not mean these are already part of the public domain. They may be publicly available but are not necessarily in the public domain. Many of these works are protected by copyright.

Reg Pastor before participants at the 20th PASADO National Summit. 
Photo by Shai Gondra. 

Unless the author expressly indicated that the work may be used freely, our default assumption is it is under copyright thus we need to attribute properly and seek permission if we wish to use them, especially for large-scale uses.

Not everything posted and shared on social media is under the public domain. The same default assumption should prevail if we want to use the works of others on a large scale.

The rise of Generative AI

The rise of generative AI like ChatGPT and DALLE means the creation of works is no longer the sole turf of humans. As of now, humans still need to use prompts to coax the AI to produce texts, images, music, and videos. But the exponential speed of development in hardware and software means AI will eventually do it without human prompts.

As educators, we need to be vigilant and not be afraid to engage with social media and AI. We need to update a lot of things like the definition of plagiarism which points to a human source.

The classic definition of plagiarism is passing off another person’s work as your own. How can we accuse a student of plagiarism if the work submitted was produced by AI?

We need to update school policies

The student handbook and other school policies need to be updated in the face of the rapid developments in AI.

There was a time when schools allowed students to have their smartphones inside the classroom. This changed when teachers discovered that students were cheating in their exams using smartphones. 

Now all schools ban the use of smartphones, especially during exams. The same rule is applied to professional exams like the bar for prospective lawyers.

After the presentation, a number of participants shared their own experiences both as creators of works and users of the works of others.

Experts from various universities

With the theme “Rebolusyong Industriyal 4.: Eksplorasyon at Perspektiba sa Wika, Pelikula, at Panitikan” (Industrial Revolution 4: Exploration and Perspectives on Language, Film, and Literature), the national summit brought presenters from other higher education institutions like Sherwin C. Teves, Polytechnic University of the Philippines; Sara Mae S. Robin, Far Eastern University - Manila; Louise Vincent B. Amante, University of Asia and the Pacific; and Andrea P. Aligue, Ph.D., Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology.

Award-winning author and ABS-CBN screenwriter Jerry B. Gracio opened the summit as the first speaker. He discussed his experiences in crafting teleseryes (TV series) for the largest network in the country.

Actor Allen Dizon was a special guest and led the ribbon cutting at the 25^th Gawad PASADO exhibit at the NTC lobby in the presence of guests and officials of NTC and PASADO. Dizon, a multi-awarded actor, is also a member of PASADO.

Actor Allen Dizon and Reg Pastor at the opening of the 25th Gawad PASADO Exhibit.
Photo by Shai Gondra.

FILCOLS expresses deep gratitude to Dr. Monreal “Mic” N. Camba, the summit director, and Bebang Siy, for allowing us to present at the national summit. Both are long-standing members of FILCOLS.

FILCOLS staff Shai Gondra accompanied Pastor to assist during the presentation.

 

The authors allow the reposting of the unaltered article along with photos provided the following is included at the end:

Text by Shai Gondra and Alvin J. Buenaventura. Photos by Shai Gondra and the NTC CPO. For more information, please visit http://filcols.blogspot.com

 

 

FILCOLS Joins Partners in QC's Inclusive White Cane Month Celebration for Readers with Print Disabilities

 

FILCOLS Joins Partners in QC's Inclusive White Cane Month Celebration for Readers with Print Disabilities

In support of making books accessible to those with a print disability, Regina Reyna "Reg" V. Pastor, membership officer of the Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS), addressed participants at the Quezon City executive hall during the White Cane Month event on August 14.

Reg Pastor explains the advantages of being a member of FILCOLS. 
Photo by Shai Gondra.

“Copyright is very important for creators,” said Pastor before the group composed of the visually impaired and their guardians, authors, publishers, and QC government staff. “The authors must be properly recognized like giving proper attribution and just remuneration if their works are used on a large-scale like photocopying and digital copying inside institutions.”

“For FILCOLS we protect the reproduction rights of authors so if you have a book, you may join us. Membership is free,” she added.

Candy Gourlay shares how she got rejected many times as a Filipino author in the UK.
Photo by Shai Gondra.

Award-winning author Candy Gourlay supported Pastor’s invitation and said she is also a member of a similar copyright society in the United Kingdom. The London-based author talked about her writing life and gave away CDs of her work “Tall Story” for the Quezon City Public Library.

White Cane Month is a national celebration made possible by RA 6759, a law crafted during the presidency of Corazon Aquino.

Candy Gourlay with the lucky participants who each received a copy of her book.
Photo by Shai Gondra.

The law aims to “promote and protect the physical, moral, and social well-being of all handicapped persons, such as the blind, and to undertake studies on specific causes of the high percentage of blind people in the Philippines.”

QC executive hall with participants celebrating White Cane Month.
Photo by Shai Gondra.

FILCOLS is one of the groups tapped by Wowie Catabijan, FILCOLS trustee and Kahel Press officer, to coordinate the event's organization to celebrate White Cane Month. The other groups are Kahel Press, Bookshare Philippines, the Philippine Blind Union, and the Persons with Disability Affairs Office of the Quezon City Government.

To view more photos, please click the link to Kahel Press FB below:

https://www.facebook.com/kahelpress/posts/pfbid0czTxZ6dpmMRHB9gRgsi2be4cJpq5g6FnS15L9WNJa4Vac4Cb7odLMcwNcx1AbZ78l

 

The authors allow the reposting of the unaltered article along with photos provided the following is included at the end:

Text by Alvin J. Buenaventura. Photos by Shai Gondra. For more information, please visit http://filcols.blogspot.com

 

 

FILCOLS and CCP Collab: Empower KADIPAN members with Reading Materials, Information on Copyright and AI at the TALAB 2023 in PNU

 

FILCOLS and CCP Collab: Empower KADIPAN members with Reading Materials, Information on Copyright and AI at the TALAB 2023 in PNU

Despite the threat of Tropical Storm Chedeng, the Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) displayed remarkable determination. They met on June 7 at the Philippine Normal University in Manila, undeterred by the adverse weather, to celebrate TALAB 2023 alongside the PNU’s Kapisang Diwa at Panitik (KADIPAN) members.

Bebang Siy made a presentation on the free learning resources available online which were created by government cultural agencies.

“Learning resources like stories, articles, drawings, images, and videos are free to download to supplement the materials being used by educational institutions like the Philippine Normal University,” Siy said.

Siy is an officer at the CCP and a member of the board of FILCOLS.

FILCOLS executive director Alvin J. Buenaventura made a presentation via recorded video on copyright, artificial intelligence, and the work of a collective management organization (CMO) like FILCOLS.

“Authors are strongly encouraged to join FILCOLS so that we can protect their reproduction rights,” Buenaventura said. “Institutions that reuse copyrighted works via photocopying and digital copying on a large scale should get a license from FILCOLS to legalize their use. In turn, the remuneration we collect is distributed to our member authors and publishers.”

He explained the rise of AI especially generative AI which produces text, images, and videos. And that students should use them responsibly.

During the open forum, Buenaventura answered some of the questions through the Messenger communications app.

CCP, FILCOLS, and PNU-KADIPAN. Photo by Shai Gondra.

After the presentations, Siy formally turned over to PNU KADIPAN the reading materials collected by the CCP. Reg Pastor and Shai Gondra represented FILCOLS at the event. They turned over to the officers of KADIPAN the reading materials donated through the efforts of FILCOLS.

Established in 1966, the CCP is the leading government institution for arts and culture in the Philippines. FILCOLS is the only CMO organized in 2008 to support the book publishing industry.

Text by Alvin J. Buenaventura. Photo by Shai Gondra. Text and photo may be re-posted as long as the authors are acknowledged.

Visit the CCP FB to read the article written by Rajah Mekah Navarro

https://www.facebook.com/CCPIntertextualDivision/posts/567799685527355?ref=embed_post

FILCOLS Joins IFRRO Asia-Pacific Committee Regional Gathering to Foster Collaboration and Mentorship

FILCOLS and CCC in Singapore. (l-r) Reg Pastor, membership officer, Michael Healy, international relations chief of the Copyright Clearance Center (USA), and Bebang Siy, trustee.
Photo by Sarah Tran.

FILCOLS Joins IFRRO Asia-Pacific Committee Regional Gathering to Foster Collaboration and Mentorship

The Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS) represented by trustee Bebang Siy and membership officer Reg Pastor showed its commitment to collaborate with its neighbors at the Asia Pacific Committee (APC) gathering held in Singapore from April 12 to 14.

The event, which marked the first in-person gathering of collective management organization (CMO) representatives since the pandemic, was hosted by the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations (IFRRO) and the Copyright Licensing and Administration Society of Singapore (CLASS) at the Jen Hotel Orchardgateway.

The regional meeting not only fostered discussions on CMO challenges and developments but also inaugurated the IFRRO-ASEAN Mentorship Program, with a focus on bolstering CMO operations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. FILCOLS played a dual role as both a participant at the gathering and a mentee, reinforcing its dedication to regional cooperation and growth.

Reg Pastor presented the National Report to more than 40 delegates from ASEAN countries, including Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States of America. Also present were representatives of the Singaporean government.

Pastor highlighted the developments in the licensing agreement with the Department of Education and the proposed legislation on intellectual property rights specifically copyright and extended collective license (ECL).

Bebang Siy presented the status of piracy and counterfeiting in the country including responses from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the private sector.

Despite his inability to physically participate in the gathering, FILCOLS executive director Alvin J. Buenaventura provided full support by arranging with IFRRO a travel grant for Siy and Pastor so they could fly and stay in Singapore for free. He also researched and prepared the reports and presentations of the two representatives.

Read more through this link, CLASS (class-singapore.com)

Text by Alvin J. Buenaventura. Photo by Sarah Tran. Text and photo may be re-posted as long as the authors are acknowledged.