RP leads Asean countries in fight vs IPR violations

The Philippines is leading ASEAN member countries in the fight against intellectual property rights (IPR) violations, a major investor in the country said.

“In comparing the Philippines with other countries in the region, it is leading the way in intellectual property in terms of tackling IPR,” Liam Benham, vice-president for Governmental Affairs, Asia-Pacific and Africa of Ford Motor Co. said.

“We keep a very watchful eye on IPR issues around the region. As a major investor in the country, we have been struck by how serious the Philippine government is in addressing these issues,” he added.

In the recent three-day business mission of the US-ASEAN Business Council to the Philippines, council members cited gains made by the country in sustaining efforts to build a strong IPR regime.

The mission aims to facilitate a dialogue between US businesses and Philippine government officials to boost investment and trade in the country.

According to Matthew Daley, president of the US-ASEAN Business Council, countries with strong regime on intellectual property have been able to attract large scale investments.

“We attach a great deal of importance to the work of IP Philippines. It is not only for our business interests, but for the development of the Philippines as well,” Daley said.

For his part, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines) Director General Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. stressed the importance of intellectual property rights protection in promoting creativity and innovation.

During the US-ASEAN Business Council, he reiterated President Arroyo’s call to protect and promote intellectual property rights as a strategic and critical component for the country’s socio-economic development by raising the level of competitiveness of Philippine businesses.

Cristobal noted the big improvement in the enforcement of IPR laws since the creation of the National Committee for Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) in 2005.

According to Cristobal, the combined efforts of the enforcement agencies yielded an estimated P2.3 billion worth of seized counterfeit goods from January to September this year versus government’s total haul of P1.3 billion in 2006.

As for IP Philippines’ legislative agenda, Cristobal explained that the government supports bills that would implement the provisions of the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) Internet Treaties, which the country acceded to in 2002.

The treaties will create the foundation for a healthy expansion of E-commerce in member countries that ratify them, specifically in terms of generating more jobs, paving the way for more secure and diversified economies, and spurring social and cultural advancement.

“The new proposals in Congress such as House Bill 1033 or An Act Penalizing Mall and Store Owners Engaging in the Sale of Contraband Products, and House Bill 1409 or the Anti-Cable Television and Cable Internet Pilferage Act of 2007 will strengthen the country’s IPR regime,” he said.