REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9239
AN ACT REGULATING OPTICAL MEDIA, REORGANIZING FOR THIS PURPOSE THE VIDEOGRAM REGULATORY BOARD, PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
I. General Provisions
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the Optical Media Act of 2003.
SECTION 2. Policy. – It is hereby declared to be the policy of the State to ensure the protection and promotion of intellectual property rights. The unregulated mastering, manufacture, replication, importation and exportation of optical media in all forms is inimical to economic growth and public interest. Towards this end, the State shall institute the means to regulate the manufacture, mastering, replication, importation and exportation of optical media.
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – For the purpose of this Act, the following terms shall mean:
(a) Economic Zone – the Special Economic Zones, Industrial Estates, Export Processing Zones and Free Trade Zones as defined in Republic Act No. 7916 or the PEZA Law including the Clark Special Economic Zone, the Cagayan Special Economic Zone, the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone, the Subic Bay Freeport and other economic zones now in existence in the Philippines or as may be established in the future;
(b) IP Code – Republic Act No. 8293 also known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines;
(c) License – the authority granted by the Optical Media Board (OMB) to establishments or entities registered with the OMB to engage in the business of mastering, manufacture, replication, importation or exportation of optical media;
(d) Magnetic Media – a storage medium or device characterized by a base, usually plastic, coated with ferric oxide powder, in which visual and/or aural information, or software code, may be recorded or stored, including, but not limited to, magnetic tape, cassettes, video tape, diskettes, and floppy discs;
(e) Manufacture – the actor business of producing optical media or devices containing sounds and/or images, or software code, including any work protected in Part IV of the IP Code, by mastering and/or replication. In relation to equipment, “manufacture” shall refer to the assembly or integration of various components into any equipment useful for the mastering, manufacture and/or replication of optical media;
(f) Manufacturing Equipment – any and all equipment, machine or device, now known or to be known in the future, intended or designed for the production or manufacture, by mastering and/or replication of optical media, optical media masters, or production parts thereof, including but not limited to, those which shall be listed in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of this Act or as prescribed by the OMB. For the purpose of this Act, optical disc writers and such other devices used in personal computers not for commercial purposes shall not be considered as manufacturing equipment;
(g) Manufacturing Material – any material such as, but not limited to, optical grade polycarbonate or polycarbonate substitutes with physical properties suitable for the manufacture of optical media;
(h) Mastering – the act or business of producing a stamper made of glass, metal or other material, intended for the manufacture of optical media;
(i) Optical Media – a storage medium or device in which information, including sounds and/or images, or software code, has been stored, either by mastering and/or replication, which may be accessed and read using a lens scanning mechanism employing a high intensity light source such as a laser or any such other means as may be developed in the future. The term shall include, but not be limited to, devices which shall be listed in the IRR of this Act, or as prescribed by the OMB;
(j) OMB – the Optical Media Board;
(k) Replication – the process of manufacturing optical media by reproducing or generating copies of the stamper in an injection molding machine or other forms of replicating equipment; and
(l) Source Identification Code or SID Code – a system of codes to identify the source of all optical media mastered, manufactured or replicated by any establishment or entity.
II. The Optical Media Board
SECTION 4. Reorganization. – To implement the policies and attain the objectives enunciated in this Act, the Videogram Regulatory Board (VRB) created under Presidential Decree No. 1987 is hereby reorganized into the Optical Media Board (OMB).
The OMB shall be placed under the Office of the President (OP) and shall have its principal offices in Metropolitan Manila.
SECTION 5. Coverage. – The authority of the OMB shall cover the entire territory of the Republic of the Philippines including the economic zones as defined in this Act and in Republic Act No. 7916.
SECTION 6. The Board. – The OMB shall be composed of four (4) ex officio members and five (5) regular members to be appointed by the President. The Chairperson shall be appointed by the President from among the five (5) regular members.
The ex officio members of the Board shall be composed of the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) or his duly authorized representative; the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) or his duly authorized representative; the Secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF) or his duly authorized representative; and the Director-General of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) or his duly authorized representative: Provided, That the authorized representatives shall have a rank not lower than Assistant Secretary.
The five (5) regular members shall be composed of three (3) representatives from the private sector, each of whom shall be appointed from an identified industry relying on intellectual property protection, one (1) representative from the consumer organizations and one (1) representative from the academe. The regular members shall be nominated by their nationally recognized associations or organizations.
The members of the Board shall elect from among themselves the Vice-Chairperson.
The Chairperson and the regular members of the Board shall hold office for a term of three (3) years, unless sooner removed by the President for cause: Provided, That the Chairperson and the regular members may not serve for more than two (2) consecutive terms: Provided, further, That if any member fails to complete his or her term, the person appointed to fill the vacancy shall serve only for the unexpired portion of the term.
SECTION 7. Qualifications. – The regular members of the Board shall be Filipino citizens, at least twenty-one (21) years old, of good moral character and standing in the community, and with proven competence in the industry they represent: Provided, That the Chairperson shall be at least thirty-five (35) years old, of known probity and managerial and administrative competence: Provided, finally, That at least two (2) members of the Board must be members of the Philippine Bar.
SECTION 8. Compensation. – The Chairperson shall receive a salary and allowances based on current approved standardized government compensation. The Vice-Chairperson and members of the Board shall receive honoraria and allowances based on existing government accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
SECTION 9. Meetings. – The Board shall meet regularly at least once a month or as often as necessary at the call of the Chairperson. A majority of the members of the Board shall constitute a quorum to do business.
SECTION 10. Powers and Functions of the OMB. – The OMB shall have the following powers and functions:
(a) Formulate and implement such policies and programs as are necessary for the accomplishment of the purposes of this Act;
(b) Evaluate the qualifications of any individual, establishment or other entity to engage in the mastering, manufacture or replication of optical media. For this purpose, the OMB shall require such person to substantiate its capability to engage in said activities;
(c) Supervise, regulate, grant, or renew licenses for specific periods, or deny, suspend, or cancel the same, subject to such conditions as it may impose, for the activities enumerated in Section 13(a), (b) and (c);
(d) Conduct inspections, by itself or in coordination with other competent agencies of the government, at any time, with or without prior notice, of establishments or entities including those within the economic zones engaged in the activities as provided in Section 13(a), (b) and (c) of this Act, and employ reasonable force in the event that the responsible person or persons of such establishment or entity evades, obstructs, or refuses such inspection. For this purpose, the agents of the OMB shall be considered agents of persons in authority;
(e) Apply for or obtain search warrants from any court of law, or take into preventive custody any optical media and/or material or equipment, including parts, accessories and paraphernalia used for the mastering, manufacture or replication of optical media which are found in any premises if the OMB has reasonable ground to believe or suspect that these are evidence of violation of the provisions of this Act;
(f) Act as complainant in the criminal prosecution of violators of this Act;
(g) Hear and resolve administrative cases against violators of this Act and impose administrative sanctions including, but not limited to, the imposition of fines and penalties; confiscation of optical media, manufacturing material or equipment used in the mastering, manufacture or replication of optical media; and suspension, non-renewal or cancellation of the license to operate and/or closure of establishments or entities that violate the provisions of this Act. For this purpose, the Board shall have the power to issue subpoena or subpoena duces tecum to compel the attendance of witnesses and production of documents and other effects;
(h) Call upon law enforcement agencies and the managing authorities in the economic zones for assistance in the implementation and enforcement of its decisions, orders, rules and regulations;
(i) To deputize, whenever necessary, provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, and representatives of the national government agencies, organizations representing copyright owners, neighboring rights owners and concerned sectors to help monitor compliance with and report to the OMB any violation of this Act;
(j) Require persons, establishments and entities engaged in the activities in Section 13 to keep and maintain for a period of at least five (5) years true and complete records of all activities related to the conduct of its business. For this purpose, the Board may, at any time, require the production of such records and samples of optical media from each mastering, manufacturing or replicating line;
(k) Levy, assess and collect, and periodically adjust and/or revise the rates of fees and charges for the issuance of licenses granted under this Act;
(l) Establish support offices as may be necessary;
(m) Create and maintain a database, and regularly publish data containing the list and activities of registered and/or licensed optical media and other related establishments. Any enforcement agency, including the Bureau of Customs, may refer to this database for enforcement and/or seizure;
(n) Prescribe the internal and operational procedures for the exercise of its powers and functions, the performance of its duties and responsibilities and other related matters; and
(o) Exercise such other powers and functions as may be necessary or incidental to the attainment of the purposes and objectives of this Act, and to perform other related duties and responsibilities as may be directed by the President.
SECTION 11. Chief Executive Officer. – The Chairperson of the Board shall be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO shall exercise the following powers and functions:
(a) Execute and administer the policies, decisions, orders, resolutions and the rules and regulations issued by the Board;
(b) Establish the internal organization and administrative procedures of the OMB, and recommend to the Board the appointment, transfer, detail, and suspension or dismissal for cause of its administrative and subordinate personnel;
(c) Direct and supervise the operations and the internal affairs of the OMB;
(d) Submit an annual budget to the Board for its approval;
(e) Delegate his or her authority, in whole or in part, to other members of the Board, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the OMB; and
(f) Perform such other powers and functions as may be authorized by the Board or the President.
SECTION 12. The OMB Secretariat. – The OMB shall have a Secretariat, herein created, headed by an Executive Director who shall assist the Chairperson/CEO in the day-to-day operations of the OMB.
The Executive Director shall be appointed by the Chairperson subject to the approval of the Board. His term shall be coterminous with the CEO.
