Govt mulls blocking of some file-sharing sites to fight piracy

SINGAPORE — As part of its measures to curb online piracy, the Government is considering blocking file-sharing websites that infringe copyright while it reviews the Copyright Act, said Senior Minister of State (Law) Indranee Rajah yesterday.

“The preliminary view is that site blocking can help to address the ease of accessing copyright infringing material on the Internet,” she said, adding that the Government is finalising its review and the industry, along with the public, will be consulted on what is the most appropriate way to do so in the coming months.

Currently, the authorities block a limited number of objectionable, mostly pornographic, websites which make up a largely symbolic list.

Ms Indranee was responding to questions by Nominated Member of Parliament Janice Koh on the Government’s plans to implement recommendations to tackle online piracy, such as site blocking, made last November by the Media Convergence Review Panel.

Singapore has one of the highest incidences of online digital piracy in the Asia-Pacific region. In March, Law Minister K Shanmugam revealed in Parliament that each month, there are on average more than 300,000 cases of illegal downloading here. He also unveiled then the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore’s (IPOS) master plan to develop the nation into an IP hub over the next decade.

A sound and pro-business copyright framework, Ms Indranee said, requires “the protection of the rights of rights owners, as well as the legitimate market access by consumers”.

Legitimate delivery models, like MediaCorp’s Toggle, she said, is an example of content owners recognising the need to make legal content available to consumers through “a convenient platform and at a reasonable price” in order to reduce the demand for illegal alternatives.

Public education, she said, is key in the battle against online piracy, which is why IPOS has been placing an emphasis on this area “to cultivate an IP-savvy and respecting population” through its initiative — the Honour Intellectual Property (HIP) Alliance.

Using figures quoted from this year’s International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s Digital Music Report , Ms Indranee said usage levels of The Pirate Bay, a popular file-sharing site, had fallen by 69 per cent in five European countries within a year of them blocking access to the site.

She noted, however, that there “isn’t any one single measure which on its own is a magic or silver bullet that will resolve online piracy”.