The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has been beefing up its actions against counterfeiting by entering a partnership with the International Trademark Association (INTA).
The IP agency, in a news statement issued on Thursday, said that IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba and Inta President Tiki Dare signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at improving the capacities and awareness of the youth, businesses, online platforms and national authorities on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
“We are thankful to INTA for always standing with IPOPHL in the past years. But today, we elevate our collaborative relations to a more solid partnership where we will be pursuing a multi-pronged strategy on capacity building, awareness, and global dialogue,” Barba said.
The international IP group will provide capacity building initiatives for IPOPHL examiners in evaluating emerging products in designs; trademarks; certification marks; non-traditional marks; famous and well-known marks.
“Both will also capacitate Customs to improve cross-border cooperation, seizures and destruction procedures; online platforms to adopt voluntary best practices in preventing and addressing online counterfeit trade: national enforcement authorities and brand owners to streamline coordination and swiftly intercept counterfeits; and court judges to broaden their knowledge on IP and keep abreast with international legal viewpoints on IP cases,” the agency added.
Barba said that both parties are targeting the youth, including those out of school, in raising awareness about IP. “We hope we can connect with the youth effectively and in a way that would capture their interest in creativity, innovation and all things IP,” he said.
IPOPHL and INTA also aim to equip the businesses with cost-effective brand management practices and global protection strategies.
Their MOU work plan is in place until 2022. It will undergo evaluation thereafter to pinpoint areas that need further work and identify potentially new issues that need resolving.
INTA is a global group of 7,200 brand owners and professionals. The association aims to develop and promote wider adoption of best practices for trademark protection.