Copyright law in the Philippines is primarily governed by Republic Act No. 8293, also known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. This law protects original works of authorship including literary, musical, dramatic, artistic, and audiovisual creations.
Under Philippine law, copyright protection extends to original intellectual creations in the literary and artistic domain, including books, pamphlets, articles, musical compositions, dramatic works, cinematographic works, photographs, drawings, paintings, sculptures, and other works of similar nature.
Copyright protection in the Philippines generally lasts for the lifetime of the author plus 50 years after their death. For audiovisual works and photographs, the protection extends for 50 years from publication or creation.
Copyright owners have the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, and create derivative works based on their original creation. These rights allow creators to control how their work is used and to receive compensation for its use.
Philippine copyright law recognizes fair use exceptions for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. However, the use must be reasonable and not substantially harm the commercial value of the copyrighted work.
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is responsible for administering and enforcing copyright laws. Copyright infringement can result in civil and criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment.