More than 58 percent of car parts bought online are fake, says UK expert

Kick-off activity at the start of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Week: 6th Philippine Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Summit at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City. (Photo by AJB)

Substandard car parts contribute to accidents and loss of lives in the United Kingdom as David Lowe revealed that 58% of materials bought online are fake. 

The counterfeit car parts cost the UK automotive industry GBP 28 billion (PHP 1.6 trillion). The cost does not include the loss of lives and damages as a result of use of defective car parts.

David Lowe is the head of the Intellectual Property (IP) Enforcement Capacity and Delivery of the UK Intellectual Property Office. He is one of the resource persons invited by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to grace its IPR Week celebrations which started with the 6^th Philippine Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Summit at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City on October 24, 2016.

Lowe added that the UK publishing industry also suffered as more than 100 million magazines were illegally downloaded in 2014. 

With the summit’s theme “Advocating IPR Protection and Enforcement in Governance,” IPOPHL Director General Josephine R. Santiago reported on the gains, challenges, and plans for IPR in the Philippines.

Director General Santiago highlighted the 4% growth in the filing of IP cases from 526 (2013) to 643 (2015). She also noted the 2% growth in resolved cases from 510 (2013) to 551 (2015).

The detailed IPR Action Plan 2017-2022 was presented by IPOPHL Deputy Director General Allan B. Gepty. He pointed on the need to intensify IP education in the country.

Gepty explained that aside from the IPOPHL-backed Young IP Advocates (YIPA), the agency will spearhead the expansion of IP advocates in schools and universities. These students will be included in the regular trainings and seminars on IP.

He mentioned that a policy must be made to require schools and universities to include IPR education and awareness in their curricula. The policy must be crafted by the Department of Education (DepEd) which oversees basic education and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for colleges and universities.

Director Carmen G. Peralta of IPOPHL’s Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau presented the highlights of the 4^th IP Youth Camp held in Davao City. 

To date, YIPA has inducted 85 secondary school students in its membership. The total network of schools nationwide is 27. 

Delegates from various public and private sector organizations. (l-r) two officials from the Bureau of Customs, Civil Service Commission director Ariel Villanueva and companion, Alvin J. Buenaventura, Ranielle S. Espiridion, and four officials from the Quezon City Hall. (Photo by IPOPHL staff).

In support of the IPOPHL’s IPR Week celebrations, the Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS) Executive Director AlvinJ. Buenaventura and Staff Ranielle S. Espiridion participated as delegates to the summit.

FILCOLS is the second collective management organization (CMO) accredited by the IPOPHL in 2014. The accreditation of CMOs was included in the amendments (RA 10372) to the IP Code which was enacted by then President Benigno S. Aquino in 2013.

 Text by Alvin J. Buenaventura. Photos by Alvin J. Buenaventura and IPOPHL staff Richmond A. De Leon. This may be re-posted as long as the authors are acknowledged.

Int’l meet to make book thieves think twice

Book thieves, such as those photocopying and scanning whole textbooks and selling them as “book alikes,” may have to think twice about their lucrative business in and around educational institutions.

“Copy & Repro,” an international conference on intellectual property policies and copyright licensing for schools and universities at the 35^th Manila International Book Fair (MIBF), will gather international and local experts to discuss the implications of Republic Act 10372 on book piracy and the mandatory crafting of intellectual property (IP) policies for schools and universities.

A whole-day special event at MIBF, “Copy & Repro” is organized by Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society (FILCOLS) and will be held on September 19 at the Function Room 2, SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

FILCOLS’ partner organizations for the event are Intellectual Property (IP) Philippines, the National Book Development Board (NBDB), Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP), and the Brussels-based International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations (IFRRO).

IP Philippines director general Ricardo R. Blancaflor will deliver the keynote address, “Keeping the Philippines Off the USTR’s Watch List.”

The Intellectual Property Office (IP Philippines), under director general Blancaflor, and the National Committee on IPR (NCIPR), were instrumental in removing the Philippines from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Special 301 Watch List this year. The country has been on the watch list for the past 20 years.

Book piracy, online and offline, and including the making of “book alikes,” is still rampant in the Philippines and was one of the reasons why the country was included in the US watch list. The Philippines’ removal in the watch list does not mean it has eradicated book piracy. IP Philippines and its partners in government and in the private sector must continue to set-up effective mechanisms to protect IPRs including combatting book piracy.

Prospective participants are requested to register early because of limited slots. Deadline for registration is on September 5, 2014.

Conference fees cover morning and afternoon snacks, lunch, certificate of participation, and conference kit. Regular rate is PHP 1,500.00. Discounted rate is PHP 1,200.00 for SUCs and for groups of three (3) or more participants from the same institution.

For more details and to know how to register, please visit http://www.manilabookfair.com/events.html or call Ms. Ran Espiridion at telefax (632) 439-2204 or email filcols@gmail.com.