IPO head confident RP won’t backslide in IPR issues

A senior trade official has expressed confidence the Philippines will not backslide and find itself back on the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) special 301 Priority Watchlist.

According to Intellectual Property Office (IPO) director general Adrian Cristobal Jr., the government is working with all concerned agencies to assure that efforts to curb piracy and protect intellectual property rights (IPR) are on high gear. "There is absolutely no reason to be put back in the Priority Watchlist next year or in the years to come."

Cristobal, however, welcomed the latest report of the USTR which again "strongly" urged the Philippines "to sustain and broaden progress on intellectual property rights issues in order to avoid a potential return to the Priority Watchlist in the future."

In its latest website posting, the USTR reported that the Philippines was lowered from the Priority Watchlist to the regular Watchlist at the conclusion of an out-of-cycle review in February this year due to substantial improvements in IPR protection.

The USTR said the Philippines needs to continue enforcing the Optical Media Act through continued inspections and raids of optical disc plants; increasing the number of seizures of pirate and counterfeit products and the machinery used to produce such infringing products; and increase the number of arrests and convictions of pirated and counterfeiters arising out of the optical disc plant inspections.

The USTR also urged the Philippines to achieve deterrence and avoid backsliding; ensure destruction of pirated and counterfeit goods and equipment used to make them; improve customs enforcement and address the problem of illegal copying of textbooks and counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

Additionally, the USTR wants the Philippines to take actions against television signal theft by illegal cable TV operators and bring domestic IPR laws in line with the Philippines’ commitment to implement the WIPO Internet Treaties including Internet piracy and increasing the capacity of courts to address IPR cases effectively.