During the recent three-day business mission of the Business Council to the Philippines, Council members drew attention to gains made by the country in sustaining efforts to build a strong intellectual property rights (IPR) regime. Council members met with top officials of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines), led by Director General Adrian S. Cristobal, Jr.

The aim of the mission was to facilitate a dialogue between US businesses and Philippine government officials, in order to boost investment and trade in the country.

Matthew Daley, President of the US-ASEAN Business Council, observed that: “Countries with a strong regime on intellectual property have been able to attract the upscale investors and investments.”

Liam Benham, Vice-President for Governmental Affairs, Asia-Pacific and Africa of Ford Motor Company, added:

“We keep a very watchful eye on IPR issues around the region. As a major investor in the country, we have been struck by how serious the Philippine government is in addressing these issues. In comparing the Philippines with other countries in the region, it is leading the way in intellectual property in terms of tackling IPR."

Also present at the US-ASEAN Business Council meeting were Martin Hutagalung, Regional Director in Singapore; Evelyn Mariano, Manila Representative of the Business Council; and senior executives from Ford, Monsanto Philippines, Oracle Corporation (Philippines), Time Warner, Unisys Philippines, and UPS Singapore PTE Ltd.

Presiding over the meeting, Cristobal stated that a strong IP regime is essential to promote creativity and innovation. He reiterated President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s call to protect and promote intellectual property rights as a strategic and critical component for the country’s socio-economic development, by raising the level of competitiveness of Philippine businesses.

The government of the Philippines has recorded a dramatic improvement in enforcement on IPR violations since the creation of the National Committee for Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) in 2005. From January to September this year, combined efforts of the enforcement agencies of the committee have reportedly yielded an estimated P2.3 billion worth of seized counterfeit goods, compared to a total haul of P1.3 billion in 2006.

As for IP Philippines’ legislative agenda, Cristobal explained that government supports bills that would implement the provisions of the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) Internet Treaties, which the country acceded to in 2002.

The treaties will create the foundation for a healthy expansion of e-commerce in member countries that ratify them, specifically in terms of generating more jobs, paving the way for more secure and diversified economies, and spurring social and cultural advancement.

“The new proposals in Congress such as House Bill 1033 or An Act Penalizing Mall and Store Owners Engaging in the Sale of Contraband Products, and House Bill 1409 or the Anti-Cable Television and Cable Internet Pilferage Act of 2007 will strengthen the country’s IPR regime,” he concluded.