THE Philippines has managed to remain out of a US list of economies deemed deficient in intellectual-property protections for a fifth straight year, though the country was put on notice about possible areas for improvement.
Released over the weekend, the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) 2018 Special 301 Report is an annual list of economies considered to be weak in intellectual property rights enforcement.
The Philippines was first included in the USTR watch list in 1994. After landing in the agency’s “Priority Watch List” category it was upgraded to “Watch List” status until it was removed in 2014.
Aside from delisting the Philippines, the report also recognized the country’s effective legislation and enforcement against unauthorized recording in movie theaters.
The USTR proposed that economies like Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Taiwan, who lack the teeth to criminalize violators of movie piracy, pattern their legal frameworks after those of the Philippines, Canada and Japan.
“The enduring campaign of the Philippines in fighting counterfeiting and piracy is an effort that the United States, one of the Philippines’ largest trading partners, continues to recognize,” Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines Director General Josephine R. Santiago said in a statement.
She added that the agency “will continuously explore innovative ways in introducing to the public the importance of intellectual property, in strengthening our engagement with stakeholders, and in the need to fight the proliferation and patronizing of fake products.”
“The message is clear and encouraging that we are going in the right direction,” Ms. Santiago added.
The USTR also noted that the Philippines has “slow opposition proceedings” in trademark protection.
Trademark opposition proceedings are administrative proceedings that can be elevated to the IPOPHL whenever a person believes that he will be damaged by the registration of a mark.
IPOPHL Deputy Director General Teodoro C. Pascua, who is in charge of the agency’s enforcement activities, said improvements will be pursued “with greater vigor.”
The agency noted that its legal division has narrowed the turn-around time on the disposal of cases to five months in 2017, from eight months in 2016.
“Since mid-2016, the number of case backlogs have been drastically reduced,” it said. — Janina C. Lim
