Philippines: Implemented IPOPHL Site Blocking Rules for Intellectual Property Infringements

On 20 November 2023, the Memorandum Circular 23-025 was implemented, establishing rules on voluntary administrative site blocking. This order allows blocking access to pirated sites, addressing the Philippines' high piracy rate in East and Southeast Asia. Circular 23-025 was developed by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) in collaboration with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and various Internet service providers (ISPs) and establishes a framework for rights holders to request the blocking of websites infringing on intellectual property rights. Once filed, IPOPHL evaluates the request and issues a site-blocking order to ISPs if no protest is received from the site administrators. ISPs must block access within 48 hours, using methods such as disabling domain names, IP addresses, or URLs.