THE Philippines remains out of the United States watchlist of intellectual property rights violators for the seventh straight year but still has to strengthen its campaign against the proliferation of counterfeit medicines and the use of unlicensed software.
These were the highlights of the findings on the Philippines in the 2020 Special 301 Report released yesterday by the US Trade Representative.
Ricardo Pascua, deputy director-general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, said despite this recognition, the agency will not relent or slacken in the momentum created to heighten respect for IPRs.
The Philippines was one of the countries cited in the Special 301 report where counterfeit pharmaceuticals and unlicensed software remain prevalent.
The USTR cited a recent OECD study which hat China, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Pakistan are the leading sources of counterfeit medicines distributed globally.
US brands are the most popular targets for counterfeiters, and counterfeited US-brand medicines account for 38 percent of global counterfeit medicine seizures. While it may not be possible to determine an exact figure, the World Health Organization estimated that substandard or falsified medical products comprise 10 percent of total medical products in low- and middle-income countries and 1 percent of the total medical products in high-income countries.
The increasing popularity of online pharmacies has aided the distribution of counterfeit medicines.
The report said further work on the use of unlicensed software remains with certain trading partners, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Egypt, Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam.
”The US urges trading partners to adopt and implement effective and transparent procedures to ensure legitimate governmental use of software,” the report said, noting “it is important for governments to legitimize their own activities in order to set an example of respecting IP for private enterprises.
It said unlicensed software exposes governments and enterprises to higher risks of security vulnerabilities.
In response, Pascua said the government has set mechanisms for relief and to address grievance on any IPR violation on both issues raised by the US.
He said the Philippines remains committed to increase its efforts to address these.
“We have ways to deal with them and address any grievance on the matter.
Our systems at IPOPHL, National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) and the courts are all available to IP owners to seek redress. Nonetheless, IPOPHL and NCIPR will, as we have been, continue its efforts to combat piracy in these sectors,” Pascua said.
