SC guidelines to put teeth on IPR enforcement

The National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) hopes that the special rules soon to be released by the Supreme Court will expedite the prosecution of cases filed against suspected counterfeiters and help boost government efforts against bogus products.

In a briefing Thursday, officials of NCIPR, a multiagency group tasked to enforce laws on intellectual property rights, complained that the time it took to process cases—from investigation to actual prosecution—had actually pushed some brand owners to settle with counterfeiters.

In recent years, three out of every five cases at the investigation level ended in a settlement, according to Ricardo Blancaflor, director general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), a member-agency of NCIPR.

The NCIPR likewise is hoping that the new rules will help address one of the problems now facing authorities. Blancaflor said that brand owners themselves must submit their products to be included on the IPOPHL’s counterfeit watchlist, otherwise the NCIPR would be unable to apprehend counterfeiters.

To date, there are only 32 brands on the list, including high-end products such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci.

“We are encouraging brand owners to come forward and complain … to file cases so that they can be (proactive) in the fight against counterfeit goods,” Blancaflor said.

While the new rules have yet to be issued, Blancaflor said the NCIPR would step up its drive against counterfeit and pirated goods through partnerships with various other agencies, groups and local government units.

As of October this year, the NCIPR managed to seize P4.95 billion worth of counterfeit goods, including fake medicines.

This figure was up 35 percent from that of the same period last year, Blancaflor revealed.

Authorities expect to exceed the 2009 level of P5.68 billion—the highest value of counterfeit goods seized between 2005 and 2010.—Amy R. Remo