The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has submitted a bill to Congress proposing amendments to the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. These are aimed to support IP enforcement in general and more especially in the digital environment.
The digital enforcement amendments grant IPOPHL the authority to take down online sites that infringe the rights of the IP owners. IPOPHL will have the power to issue notice and takedown requests against online piracy and counterfeiting.
Further, landlord liability, which applies only to copyright infringement under the IP Code will be applicable to trademark infringement as well. Lastly the proposed bill makes the NCIPR, the government’s anti-piracy task force, a permanent unit with a permanent IP representative in each of the agencies.
Another recommendation by IPOPHL in case of copyright infringement is for the copyright owners to have ownership of the domain name of the violating website transferred in addition to entitlement to damages from the advertising revenues earned by the infringing site. This, however, will be proposed in another amendatory bill in the next Congress.
