The National Council on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) has seized some P22.5 billion worth of pirated and counterfeit products from January to August this year.
At a weekly forum organized by the Philippine Information Agency, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL) director general Rowel Barba said the NCIPR made the seizure with help from 15 member-agencies including the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, Food and Drug Administration, Bureau of Customs, Optical Media Bureau, Department of Justice, Bureau of Immigration and Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Barba stressed that the copyright infringement is penalized based on the gravity of the offense.
Republic Act No. 829 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippine paved the way for the creation of the IPOPHIL, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry.
“We are often being mistaken as a private corporation. We help inventors and creators with their different designs, patents, models and copyright,” Barba said.
“We also assist camaramen and photographers, as well as the lawyers. We are regulatory. Our office registers trademarks,” he added.
He said that its adjudicatory function rests with the Bureau of Legal Affairs that now handles the case of longest running noontime television show “Eat Bulaga.”
The bureau’s decision would be elevated to the IPOIPHIL.
“Copyright exists upon the moment of creation. Copyright protection is 50 years after the death of the copyright owner, plus 50 years,” Barba said.
He urged the public to respect the law on intellectual property rights, saying property right is a private right.
“We will more aggressively promote our existing avenues aimed at inventors who are exploring opportunities in global markets,” he said.