TIntellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is eyeing to impose new rules on IP rights protection online, as the number of complaints received by the agency for the year has now exceeded the total from 2015 to 2019.
The IPOPHL said its IP Rights Enforcement Office (IEO) received a total of 135 complaints from consumers between January and September. This now surpassed the 129 total accumulated from 2015 to 2019.
Of the 135, the IEO has disposed of 108 of them, or 80 percent of the total, and is validating the cases of the remaining 27.
According to IPOPHL records, 84 of the complaints involve counterfeiting and piracy of IP materials, of which majority were committed in digital platforms. On the other hand, 51 of the reports filed before the IEO are related IP infringement matters, such as the use of similar marks or unauthorized use of copyrighted works.
Among those committed online, majority, or 53, were done on Facebook, while the rest were scattered among Shopee, Lazada, Youtube, Carousell, Instagram and Vidyard.
IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said it is urgent for the government to implement new rules on IP rights protection that cover the digital space, especially at the rise of complaints during the Covid-19 pandemic. He disclosed the IEO is crafting proposed updates to the 2013 Rules and Regulations on Enforcement.
“IEO will soon forward to me the draft on its proposed updates to the 2013 Rules and Regulations on Enforcement; we will finalize and issue the new rules as soon as practicable,” Barba revealed.
Barba explained the main objective of the change in rules and regulations is to add disruptive functions by which the agency can act against counterfeiting and piracy online. It will also improve the coordination with the National Telecommunications Commission in the taking down of offending posts, as well as monitoring the digital market places.
Likewise, the IPOPHL is trying to strike an agreement with e-commerce platforms to impose a protocol for the takedown of posts when illicit content, or products, are being sold in their sites.
“Specifically, through the agreement, a notice and takedown system and procedure will be developed by online platforms to more swiftly address reports on counterfeit goods and pirated materials being sold online. We hope it will be signed soon this year once the remaining issues are resolved,” Barba said.