A local gaming streamer reminded Filipinos to refrain from recording videos or taking pictures of anime films after a distributor revealed the country might not be able to enjoy such films anymore following a controversial incident.
“Power Up Gaming” or “PUG,” a Facebook page that streams gaming activities on social media, shared that the country is in “trouble” after popular gaming streamer Akosi Dogie illegally posted a video clip of “One Piece: Stampede” online.
It is an anime film that is currently distributed by ODEX Philippines through SM Cinemas.
It mentioned that ODEX was “not pleased” with the incident and has sought the help of Filipinos to report anyone illegally distributing video clips taken in cinemas.
“If we want to see more anime movies released here in the Philippines, we need to be vigilant against these things,” PUG said.
“If you notice someone taking a video of a movie that you’re seeing in a cinema, ask that person to stop recording and delete whatever footage has been recorded. If that person refuses to delete the footage, report to the cinema staff,” it added.
“If you’re really excited about showing everyone that you’re watching the movie, you may post an image of your ticket, a selfie without any content of the movie showing, or any other content of the movie that’s been officially released for marketing purposes,” the gaming streamer said.
It also cited a previous incident of piracy where video clips of another film distributed by ODEX, “Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale,” were illegally shared online and traced to Malaysia and Singapore.
“We cannot have the incident last 2017 where 8 minutes of Sword Art Online has been leaked happen again. ODEX has been repairing the Philippines’ relationship with the Japanese creators since then,” PUG said.
The gaming streamer also reminded Filipinos of the Anti-Camcording Law of 2010 or Republic Act 10088, which criminalizes the unauthorized distribution of any film or any other audiovisual work and its soundtrack.
Section 3 of the law states that “it shall be unlawful for any person, at a time when copyright subsists in a cinematographic film or other audiovisual work or its soundtrack and without the authorization of the copyright owner or exclusive licensee thereof.”
Specific acts include the following:
a. Use or attempt to use an audiovisual recording device to transmit or make a copy of any performance in an exhibition facility of such cinematographic film or other audiovisual work or its soundtrack, or any part thereof;
b. Have in his/her possession, an audiovisual recording device in an exhibition facility, with the intent of using or attempts to use the audiovisual recording device to transmit or make a copy of any performance in the exhibition facility of such cinematographic film or other audiovisual work or its soundtrack, or any part thereof; or
c. Aid, abet or connive in the commission of the acts prohibited under this section.
Violators of the certain provisions may be penalized from P50,000 up to P750,000 and serve jail sentences from six months up to six years.
The piracy of a pirate-led movie
Last September 24, ODEX shared a statement about the controversial leakage of a video clip of the recently-released anime film “One Piece: Stampede” perpetuated by Akosi Dogie.
“One Piece: Stampede” is a feature film of “One Piece,” one of the most popular anime series based on a manga that tells the adventures of a young man who wants to become the Pirate King.
According to reports, the gaming streamer illegally distributed parts of the film by sharing it on YouTube and social media.
Some Filipinos even claimed that he uploaded “almost half of the whole movie” itself.
Akosi Dogie is considered the most viewed gaming streamer in the country.
His post has since been deleted but screenshots can still be found online, including his argument against the issue.
“(Sa) mga taong nagsasabi na pinirata ko ‘yung One Piece: Stampede!! ‘Yung pinost kong video ‘yung nasa trailer ‘yun! Naku po, mga tao! Manood kasi muna ng trailer para malaman kung ano pinost ko!” he said in a now-deleted Facebook post.
This led other Filipinos to report him, which eventually reached the film distributor responsible for handling the licenses and releases of anime films in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
“It has come to our attention that someone has posted on YouTube a video clip from ONE PIECE STAMPEDE movie, we have traced the leak to be from the Philippines’s cinema,” ODEX said in a statement.
“We have painstakingly re-build the trust with Japanese copyright owners with a clean slate since the 2017 cinema video recording incident, now our anime community has taken another beating on credibility. We need your help to stop video recording in the cinemas,” it added.
The film distributor also mentioned that its ticket sales in Southeast Asia are “tiny” compared to the ones generated by Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, the United States and European countries.
If piracy continues to occur in the region, it said that “Japanese copyright owners will have no second thoughts to cut us off completely so as to protect their big markets.”
“The actions of a few inconsiderate people who just want to show off that they are watching the movie could lead to dire consequences,” ODEX warned.
“Not only the perpetrator may land in jail or get fined, but the rest of us will see the end of anime movie releases in South East Asia,” it added.
It also reminded the public to discourage others from illegally recording the film as it is a criminal offense in the country.
“Please help spread the word and if you see someone recording the movie with their handphone, please tell them to stop and delete it,” the film distributor said.
“If the person refuses to delete the video recorded, please inform the cinema staff. Video recording in cinema is a criminal offense in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines,” it continued.
The film distributor also encouraged the Filipinos to message them on its Facebook page if they see video clips of ODEX-distributed anime films taken from cinemas being shared on the internet.
“With your help, we will be able to continue putting up the best anime movies in our local cinemas,” it said. — Artwork by Uela Altar-Badayos