The government 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 Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) made this statement following the recent inclusion of two signatories from the pharmaceutical industry, Sanofi and Singapore-based Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI), in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that aims to lay down a code of practice and strengthen coordination among e-commerce platforms and brand owners in protecting intellectual property (IP) rights online.
According to IPOPHL, the support of Sanofi and PSI will boost the Philippines’ efforts to prevent the proliferation and sale of counterfeit medicine online.
Sanofi and PSI are among the eight companies and organizations which have become part of the MOU.
IPOPH facilitates the smooth implementation of the MOU which provides an avenue where members can closely collaborate and notify platform members on possible IP violations, allowing a more efficient take down of online posts selling counterfeit products or pirated content.
The recent signing, supported by the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the United Kingdom IP Office (UKIPO), took place at the sidelines of INTA’s 2023 Annual Meeting in Singapore on May 16 2023, officially adding the eight new members. The others are Pearson Education South Asia Pte, BrandShield, PUMA, Treasury Wine Estates, Honeywell and Josefina Manufacturing Inc.
“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,” said Rowel Barba, director-general of IPOPHL.
The MOU enhances IPOPHL’s existing partnership with the PSI, from capacity-building, raising awareness and exchanging critical information for investigation, seizure and prosecution purposes to addressing challenges in delivering safe medicines and ensuring integrity in the distribution of pharmaceuticals online.
While the Philippines has remained out of the Special 301 Report’s watchlist for the 10th consecutive year United States Trade Representative’s (USTR), the report cited the Philippines as one of the “leading sources of counterfeit medicines distributed globally.”
Barba earlier said IPOPHL remains to challenge the report, saying the USTR based the finding on 2014-2016 data provided by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development . Irma Isip
