REDWOOD CITY, California – “Piracy is wrong.” No ifs and buts about it.
Philippine Optical Media Board (OMB) chairman Ronnie Ricketts explained it in simple terms: “Since we were students, we’ve been taught not to copy what is not ours – quiz and homework answers, ideas, projects and the like. That is essentially what piracy is – copying what is not yours. In school, we call that cheating. In life, we call it stealing. It is plainly and simply morally wrong. It also happens to be illegal.”
OMB recently partnered with ABS-CBN’s The Filipino Channel (TFC) for an awareness campaign on anti-piracy.
Aligning with Ricketts’ battlecry of “Bawal Kumopya” (literally translated as “Copying is prohibited”), TFC tapped the cast of its top-rating primetime teleserye, “Walang Hanggan,” who willingly gave their time and effort to the production of the “Bawal Kumopya” public service announcement.
Actors Coco Martin, Richard Gomez, Dawn Zulueta, Julia Montes, Paulo
Avelino and Joem Bascon all joined hands (and crossed their arms) in a
united front for the war against piracy.
The “Bawal Kumopya” PSA was launched at the One Kapamilya Go sa
California’s Great America held last September 16. Before 10,000 people,
the video was unveiled, with "Adobo Nation" co-host Lee Robin Salazar
and WBC Latino flyweight and super flyweight champion Glenn Donaire with
his family and management introducing the campaign and enjoining all to
remember the campaign’s battlecry.
The campaign launch, the PSA and “Bawal Kumopya” t-shirts were huge
hits at the event. The campaign has aired globally on TFC and will be
rolled out in various TFC events around the world.
The OMB, which replaced the Videogram Regulatory Board, is
responsible in regulating the manufacture of optical media in all its
forms and has the power to slap stiffer fines and penalties to those who
illegally reproduce those products.
Since Ricketts took office as the new head of OMB in 2009 under the
Office of the President, he has achieved several key milestones in the
battle against piracy. This includes what was previously described as
impossible: seizing in 2011 all copies of pirated videos on sale on the
streets of Quiapo and Sta. Cruz – the symbolic piracy hub of the
Philippines.
In partnership with Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, they proved that
fighting film and video piracy is a winnable war if national and local
government officials have the political will to end it.
Another major achievement under Ricketts’ leadership is zero piracy
of films showcased at the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), a
Christmas season tradition that families had enjoyed and contributed
financially to the benefit of the Filipino film industry.
Since 2009, he has accomplished a piracy-free film festival which
resulted to robust theater attendance and ticket sales for the festival.
Ricketts was lauded by the film industry, receiving the FPJ Memorial
Award from the Film Academy for Movie Arts & Sciences (FAMAS) in
recognition for his efforts. He has also been assigned a star in the
Walk of Fame in Eastwood City.
This strong leadership and resolute commitment to eradicate piracy
and, in effect, help the economy and the film industry, inspired the
ABS-CBN TFC management of to assist the efforts of Ricketts and bring
his message to Filipinos overseas.
In a related development, on September 14, ABS-CBN Corp. and Star
Cinema filed with the Philippine Department of Justice the complaints
for copyright infringement against Ogie Villamil as owner and operator
of
www.nabimovie.com.
The National Bureau of Investigation’s Computer Crimes Unit raided
Villamil’s internet shop and residence in San Fernando, La Union
province last July for alleged copyright infringement, specifically
copying illegally, recording and uploading online for public viewing
mostly TV programs and films from media network ABS-CBN Corporation and
its subsidiary, ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc.
Check out the OMB-TFC “Bawal Kumopya” public service video here.
source: abs-cbnnews.com
