The Philippines has kept its clean record for 10 years in the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) Special 301 Report, which listed countries where the US has intellectual property protection and enforcement concerns.
In the 2023 Special 301 Report released on Thursday, April 27, the USTR listed seven countries under priority watch list and 22 nations under watch list.
The Philippines has remained out of the piracy watch list since 2014 after 20 years of being in the list of nations with intellectual property concerns.
“The country’s continued exclusion from the USTR’s list of countries with major intellectual property concerns reflects wins from the awareness and regulatory efforts of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL),” IPOPHL director general Rowell Barba said in a statement.
Barba said the report has even cited some of IPOPHL’s work as models of best practices in intellectual property protection and enforcement, particularly the agency’s Intellectual Property Colloquium for Judiciary.
The 2023 Special 301 Report also highlighted the Raise the Economy by Acquiring Protection of Your IP of Your Community (REAP IP) program that engaged over 160 local government units on intellectual property awareness.
“It also shows our close coordination with members of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) and other stakeholders and partners as we work to become a greater example to the global community,” Barba added.
The USTR listed Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, and Venezuela in the priority watch list in this year’s Special 301 Report.
Those under the watch list are Algeria, Barbados, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
“Our chances in battling with counterfeiting, piracy and all IP rights violations is only as strong as the IP awareness of the nation. This is why we have the utmost gratitude towards our domestic and international cooperation partners for sharing with us their know-how in developing an IP-conscious community,” Barba said. — Kris Crismundo (PNA)
