Gov’t mounts drive to get RP delisted from IPR watchlist

The Philippines will try to counter the lobby of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) during the US-Philippines Trade and Investment Council meeting scheduled today.

The IIPA has been able to successfully lobby for the inclusion of the Philippines in the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) watchlist due to the country’s continuing violations of intellectual property rights.

The government failed to convince the US to remove the Philippines from the IPR watchlist as the IIPA claims that there is still no concerted effort on the part of the of local authorities to curb intellectual property violations.

Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Director General Emma C. Francisco said the Philippines is doing its best to combat intellectual property violations.

"All three branches of the Philippine government are working to combat piracy and protect IP owners," she said,

On the legislative front, Francisco said, both houses of Congress are adopting new laws to clarify and strengthen the country’s legal framework for intellectual property protection.

These include the ratification of the Patent Cooperation Treaty in February last year and the two WIPO Internet Treaties entitled "WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty" and the "WIPO Copyright Treaty" in March this year.

"Congress has enacted RA 9150 on the protection of layout designs of integrated circuits during the first half of 2001," she said, adding that "the Judiciary, through the Supreme Court, designated seven additional Regional Trial Courts as special intellectual property courts to speed up resolution of IP violation cases."

For its part, the Executive Branch, according to Francisco, through the various government agencies is improving IPR protection and enforcement.

Francisco disclosed that investigatory IPR units such as the National Bureau of Intelligence-Intellectual Property Rights Division, the Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crime Division of the Philippine National Police and the Department of Justice Task Force of Special Prosecutors are relentlessly pursuing IPR violators.

"Last year alone, 315,260 illegal videograms were seized and millions of pesos in production equipment used to produce counterfeits were confiscated and taken out of operation by the different enforcement agencies," Francisco said, adding that "illegal aliens from Malaysia, Bangladesh and Taiwan operating those illegitimate production facilities were arrested." – Marianne Go