PHILIPPINES Law and Practice Contributed by: Ignatius Michael D Ingles and Daphne Marie M Gomez, Law Firm of Ingles Laurel Calderon
10.3 The Metaverse The Philippines has always been a country known for its internet use and social media engagement, with data showing that sponsors can reach up to 69% of the country’s population through Facebook and nearly 50% through YouTube. Consequently, the application of the Metaverse in Philippine sports holds great opportunities for sports stakeholders, despite its adoption rate remaining quite low compared to tradi - tional internet use. Stakeholders can use the Metaverse to further boost individual and corporate brands, enhance the repu - tation of personal coaches and athletes through expanded access to highlight videos and teaching seminars, and provide sponsors with a new platform to increase brand recognition. However, those who wish to enter the Metaverse must recognise the inherent risks of data breaches and manipulation, intellectual property violations, and the proliferation of bots and troll accounts. Enforc - ing the underlying laws may also be an issue, given the ephemeral nature of the internet and the ease of remaining anonymous online.
Visa is working with international esports organisa - tions and GCash to offer exclusive experiences and event access to Filipino gamers, whether as esports national representatives or as spectators of interna - tional esports tournaments.
10. NFTs, AI and the Metaverse 10.1 Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
A few athletes ventured into the world of NFTs in late 2020 and 2021 to launch various NFT projects. One notable athlete even started an NFT project to help fund a national team, but this was later scrapped after negotiations fell through and the NFT bubble bust in late 2021. While the NFT market in the sports sec - tor in the Philippines remains virtually non-existent, there are still opportunities for those who are willing to explore an alternate mode of funding and navigate the risks of such a volatile environment. 10.2 AI There is no key AI legislation or regulations in the Phil - ippines. At most, general laws concerning intellectual property and data protection will apply to AI in the field of sports. Both intellectual property and data pro - tection will also be most affected by AI, as there are inherent risks of infringement and leaks of personal data with AI and sports.
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