IPO Director-General Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. issued following the issuance of a resolution by the National Book Development Board (NBDB).

The NBDB resolution was reminding book publishers and sellers that Presidential Decree 1203 of 1977, which allowed the reprinting of educational books even without the permission of their copyright-holders, has long been repealed with the implementation of the Intellectual Property Code (R.A. 8293) in 1998.

"The commercial reprinting of books without the knowledge of their copyright owners is definitely illegal under R.A. 8293," said NBDB Chairman Dennis T. Gonzalez.

According to NBDB, there are 76 registered book publishers and sellers in the country today. Cristobal said that the NBDB resolution only means that enterprising booksellers can no longer use P.D. 1203 as a shield for illegal reprinting. "P.D. 1203 has been superseded by the IP Code. As stated in the NBDB resolution, every bookseller is required by law to seek the permission of an author before a book or any publication can be reproduced and sold," he explained.

"Illegal reproduction of books is an outright disrespect to the copyright of an author. Such practice deprives the author of the financial incentives due him for his creation and discourages others from writing and publishing," Cristobal said.

Under the IP Code, a violator found guilty by the court could be slapped with a fine from P50,000 to P1.5 million and be sentenced to jail from one (1) to nine (9) years.

To provide the public access to good quality copyrighted materials that are legally reproduced, Gonzalez is encouraging all copyright owners in the book industry to join and strengthen the Philippine Reproduction Rights Organization (PRRO), a collecting society of authors and publishers.

A collecting society is a private organization that represents copyright-holders such as artists, writers and composers in negotiations ensuring royalties due them are collected and managed well.

The PRRO is chaired by Dr. Michelin Manalastas of the UST Publishing House and has about 457 members composed of book publishers, schools, authors, writers, editors, and graphic artists, among others.

At the same time, Gonzalez urged local publishers and booksellers to engage in joint ventures with foreign publishers and encourage them to set up offices in the Philippines to at least cut the cost of books, especially those that are highly-priced and in-demand, such as technical books on engineering, sciences and medical, among others. The cost of foreign printing and importation make most technical books sold locally unreasonably expensive.