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There has been some talks regarding bloggers and the involvement of Department of Trade and Industry specially on contests, giveaways and the likes. The burning question is, As bloggers, do we need to apply for a permit at DTI before we held a simple giveaway or blog contest?

Let me answer it with another question.. What is the jurisdiction of the Department of Trade And Industry in the blogging community? We are not in trading, we are not a business entity. The answer is none. So it is very clear that a blogger can hold a contest without per DTI permit blah blah..

As per DTI website when I searched the word contest and permit.. one of the sear result is this page: http://www.dti.gov.ph/dti/index.php?p=26

And that page clearly states (the page under Promo Permits FAQ):

How is an activity conducted by an agency identified as a sales promotion?

It is intended for broad consumer participation.
It contains promises of gain or reward for the purchase of a product, security, or winning in a contest.
It utilizes mass media and other forms of communication.
It is conducted within a short period of time.

Based on the said definition, some of it coincides with the goal of any blog contest such as It is intended for broad consumer participation and It is conducted within a short period of time.. but the thing is this all defined the phrase SALES PROMOTION. The keyword being SALES… which means there is purchase involve. So even if a blog contest falls on this definitions.. a blog contest cannot still be concluded as a SALES PROMOTION since blog contests does not involve purchase.

So what if a blog held a contest and the contestant was not satisfied with the result? What if they complain at DTI? What will the DTI can do? again, the question of what is the jurisdiction of DTI to bloggers will be brought up. Bloggers are not in the trading industry… so what is Department of Trade and Industry will be of concerned to us?