MANILA, PHILIPPINES, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 — The intellectual property rights of Filipino audiovisual performers will soon be protected internationally through the recent signing of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances by President Rodrigo Duterte.

On January 14, President Duterte signed the Instrument of Accession to the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, which seeks to provide a clearer international legal framework to safeguard the rights of performers against the unauthorized use of their performances in audiovisual media and fixations.

The Southeast Asia-Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association (SEAPAVAA), an association of organizations and individuals involved in the development of audiovisual archiving in Southeast Asia and the Pacific as to preserve and provide access to region's rich audiovisual heritage, will be organizing its 25th Conference virtually within the week of April 19 to 23, 2021, with the theme "AV Archiving in Changing Times: Successes, Failures, and Challenges".