Phl remains in US IPR watch list

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines remains on the US piracy watch list, according to the latest report released by the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office on Monday.

This despite efforts by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPhl) for the country to be removed from the watch list, where it has been on for seven years.

In a statement, IPOPhl expressed disappointment, saying retention in the US piracy watch list will be “discouraging” to its efforts    to institute reforms in the protection of intellectual property rights in the  country.

“The efforts of the Philippine government in curbing piracy and protecting intellectual property rights have significantly improved” but the country is nonetheless   retained in the watch list because of “trade issues.”

“The past few years saw the Philippines laying the foundation for an IP-friendly country, setting up sound legal framework, conceptualizing and implementing the holistic approach to IP protection and enforcement, and adjusting policy measures to IPR concerns,” the statement said.

IPOPhl said that due to increased border control measures and stricter law enforcement, the value of seized counterfeit products reached P8.38 billion in 2011, the highest since anti-piracy measures have been implemented in the Philippines.

The USTR office released its annual “Special 301” Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of US trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights

In its report, the USTR acknowledged the anti-piracy efforts being made by the Philippine government.

“The Philippines remains on the watch list in 2012. The United States is encouraged by the significant decline in the incidence of unauthorized camcording of motion pictures in theaters that followed the enactment of the Anti-Camcording Act of 2010. Philippine officials also improved enforcement efforts, leading to the closure of at least two significant notorious markets,” it said.

Meanwhile, the US again put Russia and China on its annual list of countries with the worst records of preventing the theft of copyrighted material and other intellectual property (IP).

Argentina, Canada and India were also put on the “priority watch list,” along with Algeria, Chile, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela.

“This year’s Special 301 Report is more significant than ever in light of recent US government data showing that IP-intensive industries support as many as 40 million American jobs and up to 60 percent of U.S. exports,” U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a statement.

Canada, among the North American Free Trade Agreement nations along with Mexico and the United States, made the list for the fourth consecutive year, partly for failing to reform its copyright laws.

The priority watch list carries no threat of sanctions, but hopes to shame governments into cracking down on piracy and counterfeiting and updating their copyright laws.

It was Russia’s 16th straight year on the list, according to a tally kept by the International Intellectual Property Alliance, a U.S. business group.

China has been on the priority watch list for eight years and subject to a special monitoring program under Section 306 of US trade law since the late 1990s.

USTR placed Ukraine on the priority watch list for the first time since 2007.

Ukraine has made “minimal progress” in implementing a 2010 action plan to reduce piracy and counterfeiting and “in some cases took steps backward,” USTR said.

Kirk congratulated Malaysia and Spain for being removed from a lower level watch list that includes 27 countries this year.

Those are Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Malaysia was dropped from the watch list in recognition of steps it has taken to strengthen protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights and for issuing regulations to protect pharmaceutical test data, USTR said.

Spain was removed from the watch list after adopting regulations to combat piracy over the Internet, USTR said.

USTR said Canada’s place on the priority watch list was “subject to review” if Ottawa enacts long-awaited copyright legislation. The report urged Canada to take stronger action to fight piracy over the Internet and to give its customs officials increased authority to seize counterfeit goods at the border.