IPOPHL urges youth to reject digital piracy

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) wants the youth to reject digital piracy, as a 2021 survey pointed to how this demographic is most likely to illegally download content, more than any other age group.

“Out of 1,000 respondents, 28 percent of those who downloaded free movies, 14 percent of those who read free e-books and 35 percent of those who downloaded free music came from the youngest group segment, with ages 18 to 19,” IPOPHL said in a recent statement.

IPOPHL, citing the findings of the survey conducted with the World Intellectual Property Organization last year, said some young respondents said they consume pirated content because it was “free,” plus their peers do it, too. “Given these findings, the work to create an intellectual property-conscious and respectful generation must be at the top of our country’s agenda. We need to take active measures to help them understand the importance of intellectual property as young as they are,” said Rowel Barba, director general of IPOPHL. INQ