Atty Libayan received copyright strikes allegedly from Team Ivana Alawi and her followers. However, he maintains he didn’t commit copyright violations in his video reaction to Ivana Alawi’s mendicant social experiment. He observed fair use.
Ivana Alawi vs Atty Libayan: How It Started
BATASnatin is a YouTube channel known for discussing Philippine laws with trending topics or viral videos as the usual material. It also has a Facebook page that mirrors most of the YouTube videos. Meanwhile, Ivana Alawi had made a prank video that Atty Libayan used in BATASnatin for educational purposes to shed light on the country’s anti-mendicancy law. The said reaction video of BATASnatin is still up on YouTube. However, Atty Libayan’s Facebook page is restricted after Ivana Alawi’s team hit him with copyright strikes. Although he made disputes over the penalty, Facebook replied they couldn’t help him. Facebook suggested instead he contact Ivana Alawi. He did this through email, stating he’s willing to exhaust all remedies to restore his Facebook page. However, Alawi hasn’t replied to him yet.
Atty Libayan Backs Up His Presence With New Facebook Page
Fearing that the current Facebook page of BATASnatin will disappear due to the Ivana Alawi reaction videos, Atty Libayan created a new Facebook page and another YouTube channel for backup. If strength in numbers is anything to go by, it’s worth noting that BATASnatin has 167,000 subscribers while Ivana Alawi has 12.9 million subscribers. Despite the copyright strikes, Atty. Libayan still wishes that Facebook would give him due process and investigate the matter.
Alleged Ivana Alawi Copyright Strikes Stifle Free Speech
Doc Adam, who uses his channel to help educate people, especially his Filipino followers, weighed in on the issue and came to Atty Libayan’s defense. According to Doc Adam, the deliberate and malicious copyright strikes stifles lawyers’ free speech. His message to Ivana Alawi is that she should be able to accept others’ opinions of her as a public figure with millions of followers except if they’re defamation. And perhaps she shouldn’t make vlogs that break any law.
It’s interesting to note that before making the Alawi prank reaction vlog, Atty Libayan posted a video about Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) in the Philippines. According to Atty Libayan, anti-SLAPP laws are essential in the exercise of freedom of expression. The anti-SLAPP laws in the country are limited, however, to environmental laws. In the video, he recommends lawmakers create anti-SLAPP laws to protect the citizens’ freedom of speech.
