IPOPHL Keeps Chairmanship of ASEAN Group on IP Enforcement
September 7, 2020
The Philippines, as represented by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), has maintained its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Network of IP Enforcement Experts (ANIEE), the lead group in implementing intellectual property rights enforcement initiatives under the economic bloc’s IP Rights Action Plan 2016-2025.
In its 6th meeting held on September 3, 2020, the Philippines manifested its intent to retain the chairmanship of ANIEE, a task the country was given during the creation of the task force in 2017. The Philippines was granted another term by consensus, marking its second consecutive term at the helm.
“The continued chairmanship of the Philippines is testament to the confidence our neighbors have in IPOPHL and its active participation in leading efforts to strengthen IP enforcement in the region,” ANIEE Chair and IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said.
“This trust given to us ignites further our passion to impact enforcement regimes on a regional level,” Barba added.
As chair, IPOPHL proposed the “ANIEE ACTS Beyond 2020” program which will focus on speeding up the region’s progress by drawing focus on ACTS which stands for Awareness, Capacity, Technology, and Synergy.
In particular, the program aims to increase:
- Awareness, by bolstering efforts to raise IP enforcement awareness by optimizing physical spaces and social media presence
- Capacity, specifically by building the capacity not only of IP offices but of all IP enforcement stakeholders and players
- Technology, by utilizing technologies to further improve IP enforcement in the region
- Synergy, by building new partnerships and strengthening existing ones
Based on these four areas, the Philippines proposed several new activities to be undertaken by ANIEE in the next one to two years.
“Decisive, fast, and targeted actions like these are expected of us especially today,” Barba said.
Speeding up the region’s achievement of its goals under the ASEAN IP Rights Action Plan is deemed critical especially in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, as many countries in the region are geared towards producing more innovations on COVID-19 and on helping us live better in this new normal.
“Stamping out infringement and piracy is crucial for businesses, inventors, innovators, and artists, many of whom are struggling to find a steady source of income in these trying times. Aside from the rights holders, we must also protect the public against unscrupulous individuals who are trying to make money through counterfeiting goods which are essential in keeping safe and in beating COVID-19,” the ANIEE chair said.
“With effective enforcement measures and stronger regional collaboration, we can help IP rights holders secure a sustainable livelihood, and consumers ensure the authenticity and safety of their purchases,” he added.
ANIEE members expressed willingness to adopt most of the newly proposed ACTS activities that are in line with the goals of the bloc’s IPR Action Plan. In their next meeting in 2021, engagement will focus on steps forward to achieving said roadmap and in implementing the rest of the additional Philippines-proposed activities.
.### (Janina Lim, Media Relations Officer)