The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), with the support of the Japanese government and companies, strengthens its capacity and that of local enforcement authorities to identify counterfeit Japanese products. This initiative aims to improve market monitoring and enforcement operations as Japanese companies show increasing interest in the Philippine market expansion.
In partnership with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and member companies of the International Intellectual Property Protection Forum (IIPPF), IPOPHL held a training seminar which gathered various members of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR).
IPOPHL Deputy Director General for Policy, Legal Affairs and External Relations Nathaniel S. Arevalo delivered the welcome remarks, and gave an overview of the NCIPR’s ongoing programs that emphasized IPOPHL’s commitment to work with stakeholders to safeguard their rights and protect local consumers.
IPOPHL’s IP Rights Enforcement Office—the secretariat to the NCIPR—also gave updates on the seizure operations of the NCIPR and IPOPHL’s nationwide awareness efforts. It highlighted benefits of the E-Commerce Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which IPOPHL facilitates. The MOU strengthens coordination between brand owners and e-commerce platforms for the swifter removal of counterfeit listings.
NCIPR members, namely the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Customs and the Food and Drug Administration, explained their respective roles and efforts in building a robust enforcement ecosystem to help Japanese companies further understand the enforcement mechanisms in place for the protection of IP in the Philippines.
Japanese companies at the event pointed out the Philippines’ growing importance to their business and as a trading partner of Japan, hence, the need to foster an enforcement system that effectively protects the reputation of Japanese brands and their customers’ welfare.
The Japanese firms, namely the Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Kubota Corp., KYB Corporation, Mazda Motor Corp. and Seiko Epson Corp—along with JETRO and the JPO, made a courtesy call with the newly minted Director General Brigitte M. da Costa-Villaluz who assured them of IPOPHL’s ongoing efforts to build an enforcement regime that with faster and more efficient resolutions.
“IPOPHL recognizes the challenges posed by lengthy judicial proceedings in the aftermath of criminal crackdown. To address these challenges, IPOPHL offers alternative methods of enforcement which can lead to more efficient resolutions,” she said.
“These include strengthening collaboration with e-commerce platforms to facilitate prompt removal of counterfeit listings under the E-Commerce MOU and settling IP disputes through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as the IPOPHL’s Mediation Outside Litigation and Rules of Procedure on Resolution of Actions without Provisional Remedies (RAPID Rules) under our Bureau of Legal Affairs,” da Costa-Villaluz added.
Japan is the country’s second-largest trading partner, with a total merchandise trade reaching $20.74 billion in 2023.
