IP Philippines inks agreements with cable, software sectors 

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines signed recently  agreements with officials of the cable and software industries entailing partnerships and cooperation in the promotion of intellectual property rights.  

          IP Philippines Director General Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. signed the separate memorandum of agreements with Tarun Sawney, Asia director for piracy of the Business Software Association (BSA); Fermin Taruc, president of the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA); and Antonio Selda, president of the Philippine Cable Television Association (PCTA). 

          The forging of agreements, which is among the highlights of the IP Philippines-led celebration of the country of the World IP Day on April 26, was held at the Dusit Nikko Hotel in Makati City. 

          Cristobal also launched the Intellectual Property Rights Protection Training Program, a seminar-workshop for law enforcement agents and hearing officers on IP, which the IP Philippines is holding with the support of the BSA. 

           “The signing of agreements are part of the efforts of the IP Philippines to strengthen and promote IPR in the software and pay television industries. These follow similar partnerships and cooperation agreements that we have already forged with other IP stakeholders to ensure that IP become a tool for national development,” Cristobal said  

          “The agreements also strengthened public-private partnerships in the campaign against piracy,” he added.  

Likewise, the forged partnerships called for the promotion of creativity and innovation through information and educational campaigns and advocacies. 

          Cristobal said that IPR is too important to leave in the hands of the government or the private sector alone. Instead, it should be handled by a public-private partnership in order to strengthen its system and eradicate its problems. 

          Sawney said the BSA is “pleased” to work with the IP Philippines in the joint undertaking as he praised the office’s leadership and the government’s political will in addressing IPR issues. 

He said the works of the Philippines and the government has been rewarded with the removal of the country from the Priority Watch List of the Special 301 list of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). 

          On the other hand, both Taruc and Selda emphasized the economic benefits that the software and pay television industries are generating for the government. However, both also noted the effects of piracy in these industries. 

Taruc said that piracy is affecting Filipino software firms, especially the small and medium-sized companies more than the bigger firms. 

Sawney said that a 10-point reduction in the current 71 percent piracy rate in the software industry could give additional $25 million revenue to the government and infuse $470 million to the economy. 

It would also create additional 2, 200 IT jobs and increase local sales by $325 million.