THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is hopeful the exclusion from the United States’ piracy and counterfeiting watchlist will reinvigorate discussions on a possible free trade agreement (FTA) with the US.
The DTI added the exclusion of the country from the Special 301 list of the US Trade Representative (USTR) boosts its confidence for the Philippines to continue exporting over 5,000 products to the US at zero tariff, a perk enjoyed under the US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) which the US Congress is expected to renew before its December 2020 expiry.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the DTI is committed to work closely with other agencies to sustain the gains and clear the country’s name from allegations reported by the USTR such as the country being a source of fake medicines and the Philippine government’s use of unlicensed software.
Lopez commended the 12-member National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights which DTI leads, for its work in keeping the Philippines out of the watchlist for the past seven years.
The Special 301 report raised alleged IP rights enforcement gaps in the local scene such as the reported slow opposition proceedings and government’s use of unlicensed software.
A new issue raised by the Special 301 report is the identification of the Philippines in a recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as one of the leading sources of counterfeit medicines distributed globally.
