DACARA,CharleneMaeC.

G04
FLORES,RebeccaAnneU.

IntellectualPropertyLaw
KADJIM,MohammadAnnesirI.Atty.Santiago

TRANSPACIFICPARTNERHSIPONINTELLECTUALPROPERTYRIGHTS:
IMPLICATIONSFORTHEPHILIPPINES

ENFORCEMENTGROUP

I.

OBJECTIVES
a. ToidentifythestringentrulesofenforcementintheTPPandtorelateit
withRulesofProcedureforIntellectualPropertyCasesinthePhilippines.
b. ToidentifytheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofjoiningtheTPPandto
providearecommendationthereafter.
c. TopresentthecurrenteffectivenessofIPrulesinthePhilippines
d. To identify emerging trends that would help improve our domestic
IntellectualPropertyLawswithoutaccedingtotheTPP.
e. ToexaminetheloopholesofcurrentIPrulesthattheTPPcanaddressif
accededto.

II.

SCOPE
ToexamineIntellectualPropertyCodeofthePhilippinesR.A.8293andits
amendmentR.A.10372andspecificallySpecialProceduralRulesinIntellectual
Property Law A.M. 10310SC visvis the TPP provisions on intellectual
propertyrightsenforcement.

III.

ISSUES
a. Whether or not joining the TPP will make our enforcement IP laws
effective?
b. Whether or not the strong enforcement in the TPP is violative of due
process?

IV.

EXPANDEDANALYSIS
a. PhilippinesshouldjointheTPP
i. ThePhilippineswillhavestrongerprotectionforIPrightsinterms
of counterfeiting, infringement and piracy. Likewise, stricter
penaltiesareimposed.
The provisions of TPP regarding IP rights provides that
enforcementproceduresarespecified.Bythis,wecansaythat
implementationsoftheagreementsamongstatepartieswouldhave
more teeth. If procedures are laid down, there would be an

DACARA,CharleneMaeC.G04
FLORES,RebeccaAnneU.

IntellectualPropertyLaw
KADJIM,MohammadAnnesirI.Atty.Santiago

established criteria that would serve as a benchmark to know

whetheragivenrightisrespectedandviolationsarereprimanded.
ii. Therewillbeaunifiedproceduralstepsintheinvestigationand
prosecutionofIPRviolationsforwhichthePhilippinesisobligated
toadoptinitsdomesticlaws.
TPP being an international agreement will serve as the law
between countries. As such, having a universally accepted
procedurewouldnotonlyfosterrelationsbetweenmemberstates
inadiverseglobalenvironment,butwouldalsorequireuniformity
amongthem.
iii. It will promote innovation. Creator/artist/owners are more
encouragedbecausestrongerprotectionfortheirrightsexists.
TPPsimpactshouldnotonlybelookedfromamacroeconomic
level,butonamicrolevelaswell.Althoughitisthecountryitself
asawholethatwouldbenefit,weshouldnotforgettheindividuals
whichcomposeanation.Theultimateeffectsofthisintegration
should be felt by the people, specifically the creators/artists
themselves. Innovation promotion, the ultimate purpose of IP
protection, is notthe endinitself. Innovation wouldeventually
affectthewholecountryasawholeintermsofeconomy.This
wouldinturnbebeneficialtoothermembersofthesociety;the
consumerthemselves.
iv. Projection of economic contributions is increased by IP rights
protection.
Businesses lean primarily on capital and labor for it to be
profitable.Capitalmaycomeinmanyformssuchascash,tangible
properties,aswellasintangibleproperties.IPbeingconsideredas
aclassofpropertyitselfisnecessaryforabusinesstosuccess.In
financial accounting, patents and trademarks, even research and
development costs are capitalized. They are assigned monetary
valueswhichgivesusanideathatIParerecognizedasoneofthe
source of income. In legal sense, IP being a property itself is
susceptible to all the attributes of ownership, hence capable of
disposition.Thus,whatwecaninferfromthisisthatIPcontribute
to the economic transactions that occur in every commercial
institutionineverycountry.IfIPproducesincome,andincomeisa
mainfactorindeterminingacountrysGDP,whichisameasureof

DACARA,CharleneMaeC.G04
FLORES,RebeccaAnneU.

IntellectualPropertyLaw
KADJIM,MohammadAnnesirI.Atty.Santiago

economic performance, then it is safe to conclude that IP

protectionisequivalenttoeconomicprotection.
v. ThePhilippineswillbeabletoparticipateintheemergingtrendsin
intellectualpropertyrights.
b. PhilippinesshouldnotjointheTPP
i. Excessive intellectual property rights will affect the ability of
creator/artist/ownertobeinnovativeinasensethatthecontentsof
theirworksarealsoregulated.
Ifinfringementpoliciesarewaytoostringent,creatorsmaynotbe
able to have a building block for their own innovations.
Knowledgeshouldnotbepersonalized.Ratheritshouldbeshared,
becausethehumanmindisuniquefromoneanother.Especiallyin
aTPPcontext,whereitinvolvesseveralcountriescomingfroma
different background. Each having its ownculture which might
affect ideas.Anideafromonecountrymaybeimprovisedand
developedbyanothercountry.However,ifIPrightsareprotected
heavily,thisprocessofbuildingonofideasareabridged,causing
theverypurposeoftheintegrationtolowerdownboundariesto
fail.TPPshouldbeameanstoenjoincountriestocreatewithone
another,notprohibitthemfromdoingsobyprovidingpoliciesthat
maycurtailcreativity.
ii. Intellectual property rights protection is not a priority in the
Philippines.
iii. The Philippines is financially constrained to provide stricter
enforcement.
iv. Stricterenforcementimposesthreattofreedomofexpressionand
exerciseofdueprocess.
TPPwouldentailamendmentofthePhilippineConstitutionwhich
isatediousprocess.Grantingtheconstitutionisalreadymodified,
there are still conflicts which may arise out of IP protection.
Freedom of expression and Due Process could block the road to
enforcement ofIPrights.Thequestionofwhichshouldbegiven
greaterweight,IPrightsorConstitutionalrightswouldcreatehavoc
insociety.IPrightshouldbeinconformitywithlocalstatutesaswell
as the supreme law of the land itself. However if a universal
procedurewouldbefollowed,itmightcontradictournationallaw.A

DACARA,CharleneMaeC.G04
FLORES,RebeccaAnneU.

IntellectualPropertyLaw
KADJIM,MohammadAnnesirI.Atty.Santiago

choice should be made between conformity with international

agreementorharmonybetweenourlocallaws.
v. ThePhilippines hastoundergosignificant restructuring oflaws
andsystems.
V.

RECOMMENDATIONSANDCONCLUSIONS
i. Toprovideguidelinesforabetterframeworkofproceduralrulesif
thePhilippinesdecidesnottojoin.
ii. To provide possible provisions and contents in the creation of
domestic law and implanting rules and regulations should the
Philippinesdecidestojoin.