Campaign jingle: IPOPHL tells candidates to respect artists’ rights

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MANILA, Philippines — Aspirants for the 2025 midterm elections should respect artists’ rights when they craft jingles and slogans for their campaign theme, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said on Wednesday.

In a statement, IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba said that respecting intellectual property (IP) rights — by allotting time to properly ask permission from artists before using songs or melodies for the campaign — will be a litmus test for aspiring public officials.

“Candidates’ respect for intellectual property rights is a litmus test of their integrity and trustworthiness as future public servants,” Barba said.

“I don’t think any voter would like to see any copyright owner and artist, especially their favorite artists, deprived of their right to have a say on the use of their work for a political campaign,” he added.

According to Barba, those who use copyrighted songs without proper permission may not only face criticisms, but also complaints, based on Republic Act No. 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines

Under Section 173 of R.A. No. 8293, derivative works — or dramatizations, translations, adaptations, abridgments, arrangements, and other alterations of literary or artistic works — are only protected as new works provided that it does not “affect the force of any subsisting copyright upon the original works employed or any part thereof.”

Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights Director Emerson Cuyo meanwhile encouraged political aspirants and parties to contact IPOPHL-accredited collective management organizations (CMOs) in securing licenses and permission for the use of artists’ works in public performances.

Among the CMOs that parties can approach include the following:

• Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Inc. (Filscap)
• Philippines Recorded Music Rights Inc. (PRM)
• Independent Music Producers of the Philippines (IMPRO)
• Sounds Recording Rights Society, Inc. (SRRS)

Cuyo also said that IPOPHL will hold its second Philippine-International Copyright Summit from October 21 to 25 to emphasize the importance of safeguarding artists’ music and compositions.

“On October 22, particularly, there will be sessions specifically designed to empower composers and music artists. We want them to learn the local and global music trends, the legal frameworks that protect their IP rights and the first-hand experiences of artists with copyright protection,” Cuyo said.

READ: FILSCAP says only two candidates secured licenses for campaign jingles 

“We will also feature industry leaders discussing the implications of generative artificial intelligence on creative works,” he added.

This is not the first time that IPOPHL reminded aspirants, candidates, and political parties to respect copyright laws.  In 2022 — as the national campaign season started — the agency reminded candidates to IP laws by ensuring that artists and creators are properly compensated should their work be used as a campaign material.

Barba said back then that paying artists may be a way to help the sector recover, especially with the economic downturn brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ: IPOPHL reminds 2022 bets to respect IP laws, pay for use of copyrighted works in campaign 

The same thing happened in 2019, when IPOPHL warned candidates from stealing music — or using artists’ creations without permission.  According to Filscap, only two of thousands of candidates in the 2019 midterm elections secured public performance licenses for the use of copyrighted music.

FILSCAP General Counsel Michael Hernandez revealed that only former presidential aide and now Senator Bong Go and Pasay City mayoralty candidate Jon Wilfredo Trinidad obtained the necessary license to play copyrighted music in sorties. With reports from Stefani Tacugue, trainee