IPOPHL adds more companies in collaboration vs online piracy, counterfeiting

THE INTELLECTUAL Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has added more partner companies in its campaign to protect online IP rights and mitigate counterfeiting and piracy across e-commerce platforms.    

Eight companies signed the agency’s e-commerce memorandum of understanding (MoU) during an event at the sidelines of the International Trademark Association (INTA) 2023 annual meeting in Singapore on May 16.    

These are: Pearson Education South Asia Pte, BrandShield, PUMA, Treasury Wine Estates, Honeywell, Josefina Manufacturing, Inc., Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI), and Sanofi.   

The addition of the eight companies brings the MoU’s total signatories to 27.   

The agreement seeks to establish a code of practice and improve coordination among e-commerce platforms and brand owners in protecting online IP rights.  

The MoU also provides an avenue for members to notify possible IP violations on e-commerce platforms Shopee and Lazada, which are also signatories to the collaboration.    

“We continue to add more members to the e-commerce MoU amid a growing sentiment to curb counterfeit goods and piracy-promoting posts over the internet. We hope we contribute to building a safe e-commerce environment for consumers and brand owners alike,” IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said in a statement over the weekend.    

According to the IPOPHL, the inclusion of pharmaceutical companies Sanofi and PSI also helps the country’s efforts in preventing the sale of counterfeit medicine across online platforms.    

“With their support, IPOPHL also aims to clear out the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) finding in its 2023 Special 301 Report that the Philippines is among the top sources of counterfeit medicines globally,” the agency said.    

REVIEW
The IPOPHL also announced that the MoU is set to have its second annual review this month to evaluate areas of improvement in its framework and implementation.   

“Today’s expansion of the MoU showcases the incredible importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors in addressing the spread of counterfeiting and piracy, especially in online marketplaces where almost everyone is today,” Mr. Barba said.    

“This whole-of-society approach will gain us not only the overall health and safety of our consumers but also a stronger IP system that would promote innovation and competitiveness,” he added. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave