The Philippines and Korea –two countries with strong copyright sectors and abound in talents— re-affirmed their partnership on copyright protection this year, says the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
IPOPHL Deputy Director General Atty. Allan Gepty highlighted copyright as a tool for economic development during a copyright forum held in Manila, emphasizing that contrary to the common notion, enforcement of Intellectual Property (IP) is not just about running after infringers; it is also empowering the people in availing of the IP system’s benefits by educating them.
Korean Ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Jae Shin-Kim, during the same forum, took note of Korean Pop-culture’s popularity in the country which has been made more popular to the public via the internet.
The two countries have been joining forces since 2011 in promulgating copyright awareness and protection in both countries by organizing during this period five fora through the IPOPHL and the Korea Copyright Commission (KCC) with the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST).
“Copyright laws are vital in this age of information and we are thankful that the Philippine Government is active in the fight against piracy”, Jae Shin-Kim shares while also citing the country’s removal from the US Piracy Watchlist.
Copyright, the legal protection extended to the owner of the rights in an original work, is one of the Intellectual creations which is key to a successful business, says IPOPHL, since registered intellectual properties effectively allow its owner or creator recognition and control over the commercialization of the creation.
The IPOPHL is the lead agency under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) responsible for handling the registration and conflict resolution of intellectual property rights.
For information on IPOPHL services, log-on to http://www.ipophil.gov.ph/
