RP stays on US piracy watchlist
abs-cbnnews.com | 04/28/2008 4:29 PM
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The Philippines will continue to stay in a United States trade department intellectual property watchlist for 2008 due to increased incidence in book piracy, illegal downloads using mobile devices, piracy on the Internet and the illegal camcording of films in local theaters.
The 2008 United States Trade Representative (USTR) report said Philippine authorities should take steps to reverse the trends by imposing stiff penalties on violators.
"The Philippines should pursue final determinations in outstanding [intellectual property rights] cases, including those related to cable piracy, with imposition and implementation of deterrent-level penalties," the report said.
The Quiapo district, which has been identified as the country's center of video and music piracy, was cited in the report as a neighborhood where the sale of counterfeit and pirated merchandise is rampant. Other areas cited for selling fake products were Binondo district, also in Manila; Greenhills in San Juan City; the Makati Cinema Square, a small shopping mall in Makati City; and Metro Walk in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
The entry of in-transit goods or transshipped goods that enter Customs territory intended for another destination remains a problem in the Philippines due to weak IPR border enforcement, the report said. It noted that the Philippines also failed to destroy all seized counterfeit goods, materials and related manufacturing equipment.
On the plus side, the USTR said the Philippines has made progress toward implementing controls on optical media production.It also noted that the Philippines is one of several countries that is mandating the use of authorized, legitimate software for government offices.
The USTR urged the Philippine government to strengthen the Optical Media Board (OMB) by providing adequate resources to expand and improve the effectiveness of its activities.
It added that the government should strengthen the Bureau of Customs IP unit, enforce copyright protection of printed material and seek to obtain amendments to the Copyright Act to implement World Intellectual Property Organization Internet treaties.
