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On Copyright: Protecting Writers’ Rights

Katie Yuvallos
3 hours ago
4 min read

When looking for intellectual property (IP) success stories, we need not look further than Ateneo de Manila University’s own alumni. One of them is Ms. Ines Bautista-Yao, a writer whose passion shows in every page. She has published more than a dozen books, including One Crazy Summer, My Lola’s Love Letters, and her most recent novel, Happily Ever After…Again.


Bautista-Yao has been writing since she was a young girl. She wrote for her school paper from elementary school through university, including The Guidon during her undergraduate years. She later interned at the Sunday Inquirer Magazine and went on to become editor-in-chief of Candy and K-Zone magazines. Her short fiction also appears in several published anthologies. Alongside her love for writing, she has a deep commitment to teaching. She is currently a faculty member of the university’s Department of English, where she teaches undergraduate English courses.


Image: Ms Ines at the book launch of her latest book, Happily Ever After… Again. Photo courtesy of Ms Ines.
Image: Ms Ines at the book launch of her latest book, Happily Ever After… Again. Photo courtesy of Ms Ines.

For Ms Ines, writing is a form of survival; when she isn’t writing, she feels that something in her life is missing. Rather than seeing writing simply as a tool for self-expression, she sees herself as a vessel through which her muses can turn ideas into creative work that others can enjoy. Writing is also how she learns, whether by observing her daily life or through deliberate research. Her preferred method is interviewing people, so she can capture the lived experiences of the subjects she writes about.


In an interview with ABS-CBN, Bautista-Yao shared that her novels are something she can proudly call her own (Bicomong, 2026). Writing anchors her identity amid the many roles she plays: mother, professor, and editor. As Ms Ines journey shows, creative work is deeply personal. It is an expression of the creator’s own life and experience. What, then, protects such work? This is where copyright comes in. Copyright is a set of exclusive rights granted to the creator of an original literary, scholarly, or artistic work, and it applies from the moment the work is created (IPOPHL, n.d.). It gives creators control over how their work is reproduced, distributed, and adapted, and lets them benefit from what they make. By securing these rights, copyright encourages creators to keep producing original work and safeguards the integrity of what they create.


Image: The front covers of Ms Ines’s book, My Lola’s Love Letters. Photo courtesy of Ms Ines.  
Image: The front covers of Ms Ines’s book, My Lola’s Love Letters. Photo courtesy of Ms Ines.  


Having worked with several publishers, Bautista-Yao has seen copyright from the writer’s side of the table. When a writer is offered the chance to be published, she says, the gratitude and excitement can be overwhelming. That excitement often leads writers to sign contracts without reading them carefully, which can put their rights to their own work at risk.


She first learned about copyright while working at Summit Media, which she says was “very upfront” that writers held exclusive rights to their work. The company also took the time to explain the policies that came with those rights. Later, the founder of #RomanceClass, a community of Filipino romance writers that Bautista-Yao belongs to, made sure its members understood their rights as well. She is grateful to these peers and mentors, since she might not have learned about copyright otherwise.


That knowledge proved its worth. Publishers have, in the past, sometimes claimed a share of an author’s copyright. When one publisher she worked with tried to do the same, Bautista-Yao drew on what she had learned to make sure the copyright stayed with her. For this reason, she believes every writer should be educated about their intellectual property rights.


Image: Ms. Ines with members of the Third Decade Reads book club. Photo courtesy of Ms Ines. 
Image: Ms. Ines with members of the Third Decade Reads book club. Photo courtesy of Ms Ines. 

All forms of intellectual property rights, copyright included, aim to protect both human creativity and the people behind it. We must empower creators and support them as they pursue their craft, while making sure their rights stay intact. In doing so, we give proper recognition to the minds behind the works that encourage, inspire, and educate us, and that help us engage with the world more meaningfully.


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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this student article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Ateneo de Manila University


References


Bautista-Yao, Ines Erica. (n.d.). Loyola School of Theology. https://lst.edu/faculty/bautista-yao-ines/


Bicomong, V. (2026, June 6). New novel 'Happily Ever After... Again' explores romance after annulment. ABS-CBN. https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/people-culture-events/2026/6/6/new-novel-happily-ever-after-again-explores-romance-after-adultery-annulment-1000


Chick Lit. (n.d.). Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/genres/chick-lit


Creating Content. Fueling Passions. Engaging Audiences. (n.d.). Summit Media. https://www.summitmedia.com.ph/


Glossary of key terms related to Intellectual Property. (n.d.). IPOPHL | Intellectual Property


Ines Bautista-Yao. (n.d.). Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/inesbautistayao



I

nes Bautista-Yao. (n.d.). Penguin Random House SEA. https://www.penguin.sg/book_author/ines-bautista-yao/


Only A Kiss by Ines Bautista-Yao. (n.d.). Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23705867-only-a-kiss


Perfecto, T. (2026, May 12). Investigate, create, and translate: Reflections and revelations of three authors in today’s times. Ateneo de Manila University | University News. https://www.ateneo.edu/features/2026/05/investigate-create-translate-reflections-revelations-three-authors-todays-times



What's In Your Heart by Ines Bautista-Yao. (n.d.). Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17905455-what-s-in-your-heart

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ap, J. V. (2026, May 27). Filipina author Ines Bautista-Yao explores healing, second chances in new novel 'Happily Ever After... Again'. GMA Network. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/989118/filipina-author-ines-bautista-yao-explores-healing-second-chances-in-new-novel-happily-ever-after/story/



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