COPYRIGHT
If inventions are protected by patent,
other intellectual creations are
protected by a copyright. Intellectual
creation is not limited to doing
inventions. May mga iba pang
intellectual creations. Halimbawa:
writing a book, composing lyrics of a
song, composing the melody of a song
or even compilations. Madami yan
aside from inventions.
You might ask, ano yang compilations?
Yung ano mga nabibili sa Rex na
special criminal laws. Maiiksi yung
mga laws nay un pinagsama sama.
During my time, ang pinakasikat na
compilation yung kay Nolledo. There
was even a compilation commercial
laws in the Philippines. Parang yung
sa Rex, tatlong volumes yung
commercial laws of the Philippines.
Sino ba gumawa ng laws? Legislators.
Bat ang copyright nasa Rex? Yun ang
compilation.
Those who are reviewing for the bar
exams. Karamihan jan they are
classmates in one school and made an
an agreement, ikaw magreview ka sa
UE, ikaw sa Arellano then bigyan mo
ako ng materials. Kaya lang ni-isa jan
hindi mo mababasa(LOL). Ngayon, pag
pinagsama sama mo yun meron ka
copyright. Hindi naman ikaw ginawa
but ikaw yung nagcompile. So yun ang
compilations. Sa mga CDs din. Sa mga
record bar, pinagsama sama itong
isang klasi ng love song for a certain
era.
When does copyright begin?
Copyright begins the moment of its
creation. Kaya lang, you still need to
register so that there will be a public
record that you are the owner of this
intellectual creation. Pagkagawang
pagkagawa, sayo na iyon. But if you
want protection, then register.
One thing good about copyright is that
it is much longer than a patent. A
patent is only good for 20 years but a
copyright is for the lifetime of the
intellectual creator. Kung ikaw ang
intellectual creator, at age 25 gumawa
ka ng libro then nabuhay ka up to age
100, edi 75 years yun. It doesn’t end
there. It’s good for another 50 years
from the death of the intellectual
creator. You don’t count right away.
You start counting the 50 years
following the death of the intellectual
creator. Kaya kung kahapon lang
namatay intellectual creator, hindi pa
tumatakbo yung 50 years na iyon.
Mag-uumpisa pa yun January 1, 2018.
Malas lang pag namantay ng
December 31 kasi the following day
tumatakbo na.
Who owns the copyright?
Actually, meron similarities sa patent
pero may pagkakaiba.
First. Who is entitled to copyright?
The intellectual creator.
If two or more persons work in the
same intellectual creation together, in
the absence of an agreement to the
contrary, they become co-owners of
the copyright.
If a person hires another to do the
intellectual creation, in the absence of
agreement to the contrary, the
copyright belongs to the employer.
If a person hires another to do
something else although the
intellectual creator had done the
creation during his working hours and
may have even used the materials of
the employer, the copyright belongs to
the employee.
Kung mapapansin nyo, walang first to
file rule. Kasi imposible naman
makagawa ka ng nobela, parehong
pareho nung saken?
If a person commissioned another to
do the intellectual creation, in the
absence of an agreement to the
contrary, the work belongs to the
owner but the copyright belongs to
the person who was commissioned.
(Walang employment dito)
Example, etong kwarto ito aking
condo unit. Over there is a very wide
wall. So pinakamaganda may mural.
Sabi ko, friend, tignan mo magandang
mural jan sa pader. Sa haba ng wall na
yan, maganda jurasic park. In short we
have agreed on the price. Kung wala
tayo napag-usapan, sino may ari ng
mural, natural akin yun. Akin yung
pader e. Yun and ibig sabihin ng the
work belongs to the owner. Kaya lang,
right to copy belongs to the person he
is commissioned.
Halimbawa gusto ko ipagyabang
mural tapos gusto ko pabless invited
mga friends ko. Sabi nila, ang ganda
naman ng mural mo, sino ba artist
nyan? Ang tanong, who has the right
to copy the mural? The person who
was commissioned. (walang
employer-employee relationship).
Sa mga animation companies, like
pixar, etc. Ang mga empleyado nyan
karamihan Pinoy. Meron daw
employer-employee relationship dito
sabi ni sir. Sino may ari ng copyright?
Kumpanya (ER)
Copyright is a personal property and
smilar to patents, copyright is one
property and the copyrighted
property is a separate property. They
may be dealt with separately. So
pwede mo ibenta yung copyright
without including the finished
product.
One thing nice about copyright is that
for as long as it owned by the
intellectual creator, it is not subject to
attachment. Yung patent, kahit ikaw
yung intellectual creator, pwede ma-
attach. Kaya lang pag yung intellectual
creator ng copyright binenta sa iba
tapos yung binentahan naging
judgement debtor, pwede ma-attach
yung copyright.
What are the rights of the copyright
holder? There are two:
1. moral; and
2. economic.
So ano moral rights? It refers to the
right of the intellectual creator to state
how the authorship shall be presented
or it is also a right to demand that the
authorship be acknowledged.
Para mas madaling ma-appreciate
yung moral right ganito. Ikaw yung
gumawa, syempre gusto mo pangalan
mo andun.
By own experience. Nasa National
Bookstore ako. Dumaklot ako ng
pocket book. Nakita ko yung pocket
book nakalagay Nora Roberts. Akala
ko yun ang title ng libro. Nakita ako isa
pa, Nora Roberts ulit yung cover. Bakit
ganoon? Yun ang gusto ng author e.
Gusto nya e yung pangalan nya ay
nasa taas.
Dun sa IP code, hindi nakalagay term
moral rights. Dun sa IP code, it must
be co-extensive with economic rights.
Nagkaroon ng later legislation that
moral rights are now perpetual. Tama
lang naman. Isipin mo na lang. Sino ba
nagsulat ng Romeo and Juliett? Si
William Shakespeare. E matagal ng
namatay si William Shakespeare diba?
Kung tatanungin mo, sino author?
William Shakespeare padin. So tama
lang na moral rights are perpetual.
Ang 50 years lang, economic rights.
Ang salitang copyright, simply means
right to copy. Yan yang
pagkakaperahan mo. Alam nyo, there
used to be a popular singer Elvis
Presley. Nung namatay yan halos
bankrupt nay an. Si Michael Jackson,
bankrupt na din. Kaso after namatay si
Michael Jackson, ang yaman agad ng
estate nya. Kasi yung mga fans nya,
nagbilihan ng nagbilihan ng mga
recordings nya. There is a time that
there is a sale of his recordings and
part of the price of the sale goes to the
royalties, kaya kahit 1 dollar lang ng 1
dollar yan.
Pag abogado walang royalties, mag-
isip isip na kayo. Si Julio Iglesias,
abogado yun. Yumaman sya hindi sa
pag-aabogado, sa pagkanta.
Basta pag economic rights, eto yung
mga napagkakakitaan. Pag printed,
you can mass produce and license the
mass production. Eto
pagkakaperahan, the intellectual
creator may make other versions of
the intellectual creation. Kaya makita
nyo, may mga pocket book na naging
best seller. Nung naging best seller na
iyon, edi ginawang movie.
Another economic right, to make
translation. Alam nyo si JK Rowling,
kumita ng pagkalaki laki even richer
than the Queen of England. That is
when she translated her work to
Chinese. E population ng china, bilyon
yan. Kunin mo na lang 10 percent edi
1 million nayun. Alam nyo mga
Chinese, hindi marunong mag-english
yan. Kaya kahit nabalitaan na
maganda Harry Potter, hindi bibilhin
yan.
When is there an infringement?
There is an infringement of a
copyright when there is unauthorized
copying of a protected work.
Is every unauthorized copying
considered an infringement of a
copyright?
No such as when you copy ony for
your personal use. Eto yung kagaya ng
mga ginagawa ng ibang law students.
Sinabi ng prof textbook meron jan
Rex, Central, etc. In short, book a like.
May nakasuhan ba sa inyo? Wala,
personal use.
Another is when you quote but you
may have to acknowledge the
authorship. Pag lawyer na kayo and
when you prepare your
memorandum, you acknowledge the
so called “authorities”. When I
handled civil cases, I always quote
from Tolentino.
Ang mga librabries, they are very
proud of their old collection. Mas luma
libro, mas proud ang library. Paper
overtime becomes thinner. Maaring
kahit gaano ka kaingat sa pagturn mo
ng page, naiiwan na yung page sa
daliri mo. Libraries may reproduce for
as long the book is no longer being
published. Whatever the library would
reproduce should be for the exclusive
use of the library and not for resale.
I was working in a law office meron
sila collection ng corpus juris, am jur,
cospus juris secundum. Well
dekorasyon lang. Well bat naman ako
magbabasa ng luma e American pa
yun. Although kung wala ka makita sa
local, pwede mo sya gawin as
reference. Like minsan nagkaroon ako
ng kaso involving equitable mortgage.
Yung librong ginamit ko, wala naman
explanation kung ano equitable
mortgage. In short, to support my
argument before the RTC Batangas,
nagresearch pa ako sa corpus juris
segundum at American Jurisprudence.
Dun madami. Pag tinignan mo lumang
law books, wala pang discussion about
equitable mortgage.
Basta tandaan, pag economic rights,
pagkakaperahan.
Now what are the remedies in case of
infringement of a copyright?
1. Civil case for injunction with
claim for actual damages. Pero
as was saying in patent about
actual damages, it is not easy
proving actual damages. So if
actual damages cannot be
proven, then the infringer may
only be required to pay
royalties.
2. Criminal Prosecution. Kaso eto
pinagkakaiba sa patent. Sa
patent, kailangan repeat. Sa
infringement of a copyright,
kahit na first violation mo yan,
there could already be criminal
prosecution.
3. If the infringement includes
printed materials, upon order
of the court, there shall be
destruction of stencils and the
plates. Medyo may kalumaan
yung batas kasi wala na yang
stencils na yan, which is
ginagamit sa mimeographic
machines. Ang ginagamit
ngayon ay USB to reproduce.
Kung titignan mo, dapat ba ang
usb sirain? Sasabihin ko hindi
kasi what is not excluded is
deemed excluded. Ang
nakalagay sa law, stencils and
plates.
Btw, in the law may nakalagay
computer programs fair use.
Ano ba interpretation ng fair
use. It means one legitimate
program for every computer
set. Kaya halimbawa meron ka
computer rental shop, dapat
bawat isa doon meron
legitimate program. Hindi yung
isang legitimate program
gagamitin mo sa lahat
otherwise there is an
infringement. Kaya lang, wag
kayong mag-alala, personal
use. Kasi pag istudyante,
personal use. Kaya yang mga
computer companies, kahit
kumita lang sila kahit maliit,
meron sila student version.
Yung television (program) pattern,
that is not protected by a copyright.
Actually ang ruling na ito came out
when a TV station came out with a
pattern similar to another one.
Matagal na kasong ito. It involves
computer dating. Ang ginawa ng TV
Program is that men and women
submit their resume tapos ififeed yun
sa computer tapos yung computer
magmamatch. Kung sino
magmamatch, they will be invited to
the TV station live. Another station did
it also. Yung nauna, kiansuhan ng
infringement yung pangalawa. Sabin g
SC, there could be no copyright over a
TV pattern. E kasi nga naman, baka sa
isang TV station naten puro news,
then yung isa amateaur singing. Kaya
makikita nyo dati, meron kwarta o
kahon tapos yung isa naman pera o
bayong. Kung ano nasa America,
meron di sa atin. Minute to win it.
Yung wow mali just for laughs yun.
Yung mga news clips, di yan
copyrightable. Also, yung acts of
legislature. Kaya lang pag kinompile
mo, bang usapan yun. Sa news, hindi
pwede copyright yun pwera na lang
pag gumawa ka commentary about it,
may copyright yun.

-END OF FINALS COVERAGE-

(E-Commerce Act and FRIA will be

uploaded soon)