RP in ‘notorious markets’ list of US copyrights group

The Washington-based International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) has named the Philippines among 10 countries with notorious havens for piracy, raising the possible reinclusion of the country in the priority list of the yearly review of copyright violators of the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) Office.

The IIPA named Quiapo (Manila), Binondo, Baclaran, Makati Cinema Square, Metrowalk, 168 Mall and other nearby malls in Divisoria, Manila, including Juan Luna Plaza and New Divisoria Mall (Philippines) as the centers of widespread piracy of digital media.

“Several areas of the Philippines are plagued by retail pirate trade. For example, Manila’s Quiapo district remains a center for pirate trade in optical discs,” according to the IIPA.

The list was submitted to Assistant US Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation Stanford McCoy for use in the review of yearly Special 301 intellectual property watch list.

The Philippines was recently upgraded to the regular from the priority list of copyright violators.

The IIPA said it made the list “to highlight the problem of marketplaces that deal in infringing goods and which help sustain global piracy and counterfeiting.”

Also on the list were several online sites that exchanges or offers download copyrighted materials.

The IIPA said the list has successfully identified key online and physical marketplaces that are involved in intellectual property rights infringements, and has led to positive developments with respect to these and like markets.

“Such developments include closures of some Internet websites whose businesses were built on illegal conduct, the establishment of voluntary mechanisms for easier takedowns of infringing materials from identified notorious and other suspect sites, and the facilitation of licensing agreements for legitimate distribution of creative materials,” it said.

The IIPA is a private sector coalition formed in 1984 to represent the US copyright-based industries in bilateral and multilateral efforts to improve international protection of copyrighted materials.

IIPA comprises seven trade associations, each representing a significant segment of the US community and representing over 1,900 US companies producing and distributing materials protected by copyright laws throughout the world — business software (operating systems, Internet enabling software, browsers, search engines, office productivity software, database management software, green technology enabling software, security software and mobile technologies); entertainment software (interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet); theatrical films, television programs, home videos and digital representations of audiovisual works; musical compositions, recorded music, CDs, and audiocassettes; and textbooks, trade books, reference and professional publications and journals, in both print and electronic media.

Others in the notorious markets list are:

• Ukraine — Barabashovo Open Market (Kharkov): This market houses 20,000 kiosks and is located near a railway cross point from Russia, selling pirated movies most of which are replicated in Russia.

• Indonesia — Harco Glodok, Ratu Plaza, Pinangsia Plaza, and Ambassador Mall, Mangga Dua Mall: Indonesia’s markets remain replete with retail piracy in kiosks and malls, including factory and burned-to-order CDs, VCDs, DVDs, and CD-ROMs of music, movies (including pirate movies in or claiming to be in BluRay format), business software, videogames, and published materials. Also problematic are mobile device piracy (loading illegal copyrighted files onto various mobile devices or carriers) and hard disk loading, in which computers are loaded with the latest software — all of it unauthorized — at the point of sale of the hardware. Enforcement officials are reportedly reluctant to conduct regular enforcement actions because of the presence of organized criminal gangs.

• Canada — Golden Horseshoe Area, Pacific Mall (Toronto): The Toronto area flea markets are a hot bed for illegal activities related to copyright materials. Golden Horseshoe Area is notorious for pirated films available for purchase on optical disc. Pacific Mall is notorious for specializing in the circumvention of TPMs through modification devices (including installation services) for videogame consoles.

• Thailand — “Red Zones,” including Panthip Plaza, Klong Thom, Sapan Lek and Baan Mor Shopping Areas, Patpong and Silom Shopping Areas, the Mah Boon Krong (MBK) Center, the Sukhumvit Road area (Thailand) etc.: These locations in Thailand are notorious for openly selling pirated and counterfeit goods, with the government even designating the areas as “red zones,” which are markets targeted for increased raids due to their high piracy and counterfeiting rates, and “yellow zones,” which are targets to be aware of for possible piracy activities. –Daily Tribune