Philippines still on US watch list for fake, pirated goods

The Philippines is one of 29 countries on the Office of the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) “watch list” of nations where pirated and counterfeit goods were readily available.

In its 2011 “Special 301” report, the Washington, DC-based USTR noted that ineffective enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in the Philippines continued to be a concern for the agency.

Also on the USTR watch list of states considered to be havens of fake clothing, shoes, watches, handbags, among other items, were Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Romania, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

On the other hand, those on the USTR “priority watch list” were China, Russia, Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and Venezuela.

The Philippines was also on the watch list last year.

In its latest report, the USTR noted that “in 2010, the Philippines took the important step of enacting legislation to address unauthorized camcording of motion pictures in theaters” to deter the theft of motion pictures.

“However, despite an increase in enforcement efforts, pirated and counterfeit goods remain widely available in the Philippines,” it said.

The US agency urged Manila to “take steps to implement its 2011 Intellectual Property Rights action plan.”

The USTR is the agency responsible for developing and coordinating American international trade, commodities and direct investment policies.

Its Special 301 report is an “annual review of the global state of IPR protection and enforcement, which the USTR conducts pursuant to Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1994.” Jerry E. Esplanada