Phillippines' campaign to uphold the law on intellectual property rights (IPR) will be discussed during the First Philippine Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Summit on October 24-28.
"This is the first time that a United Nations agency, WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), invited 20 journalists from ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries...to look into IPR enforcement in the country," said Ricardo Blancaflor, Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
"Maybe they noticed the vast improvement in IPR enforcement in the country," he said, speaking in Filipino, "and they want to explore the possibility of making this as a model for other ASEAN countries."
In the Communication and News Exchange-Talking Points forum held at the Philippine Information Agency, Blancaflor said that IPOPHL's target to seize P5-billion worth of goods will be reached this month. "We are very confident to hit the 2009 record which is Php5.6 billion (before the year ends)," he said.
As of September 2011, P4.3 billion worth of counterfeit and pirated goods were seized.
In May 2011, the Philippines was finally removed from the Out-of-the-Cycle Review (OCR) of the US Trade Representative (USTR) because of the country's passage of legislation and stricter enforcement efforts against unauthorized camcording of motion pictures in theaters.
Blancaflor said besides addressing IPR issues of brand owners, the IPOPHL is also coordinating with the local government units (LGUs) and some key member-agencies of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) in conducting preventive measures against counterfeit and pirated merchandise.
Blancaflor cited also the raids conducted by Manila City Mayor Alfredo Lim and Optical Media Board Chairman Ronald Ricketts on establishments in Manila that openly sold pirated blu-ray discs, digital versatile discs or DVDs (formerly called digital video discs), and other computer games and application installers.
Moreover, Blancaflor added that Louis Vuitton, an international luxury brand, is opening a new store in Makati City because of the company's faith in the government's ability to address IPR concerns.
Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay graced the launching of the Summit on October 24, while Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo will cap the event on October 28.
A press conference about the said summit was conducted by the DTI at the Bureau of Investments (BOI) Building in Makati City, on October 20, Thursday.
(Source: www.pia.gov.ph)
