The EUIPO Leads Discussions on Industry Cooperation Against Online IP Infringements
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), as a lead organisation in the fight against counterfeits through its European Observatory on Infringements of IP Rights, organised a forum on Industry Cooperation Against IP Infringements in Manila, Philippines, on 12 November, as part of the IP Key South-East Asia (IP Key SEA) Project.
The EUIPO, through this forum, brought together experts from the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights, the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), and the intellectual property offices of the Philippines and Thailand. Discussions focused on the misuse of intermediary services for IP infringements and the benefits of voluntary cooperation mechanisms to combat these issues.
The EUIPO’s leadership in promoting industry cooperation against online IP infringements was evident in the forum, which highlighted best practices in implementing two types of memoranda of understanding (MoUs). The first MoU fosters collaboration among rights holders, e-commerce platforms, and enforcement agencies to combat the online sale of counterfeit goods. The second MoU aims to reduce ad placements on websites and mobile apps that infringe copyright or promote counterfeit products. Both MoUs use a ‘follow the money’ approach to IP enforcement, targeting the revenue sources of commercial-scale infringers.
The European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights, an integral part of the EUIPO, is a network of public- and private-sector experts and specialist stakeholders. The Observatory’s Enforcement Service is responsible for organising projects and activities related to enforcement, including cooperation, training and tools.
Through the IP Key SEA Project, the EUIPO has been promoting these voluntary cooperation mechanisms in Southeast Asia to improve efficiency and reduce costs for rights holders and authorities. This initiative also encourages intermediary service providers to play a proactive role in IP protection, ultimately benefiting users and the business community.
Presentations:
- Misuse of Intermediary Services to Infringe IPRs: Challenges and Trends - Benjamin Winsner – EN
- Voluntary Collaboration Mechanisms: Good Practices in Addressing Infringements of IP Rights - Benjamin Winsner – EN
- The Thailand Experience on the MoU on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights on the Internet - Pobpakorn Sripeaw – EN
- Leveraging Partnerships - The Philippine MOU on eCommerce - Clara Patricia C Vizconde – EN
- The Thailand Experience on the MoU on Online Advertising and IPR - Pobpakorn Sripeaw – EN
- Status and Results of MoU on the Sale of Counterfeit Goods Online & MoU on Online Advertising and IPR - Mafalda Fortuna do Couto – EN
Additional Resources:
- Domain Names – Discussion Paper: Challenges and good practices from registrars and registries to prevent the misuse of domain names for IP infringement activities (March 2021)
- Social Media – Discussion Paper: New and existing trends in using social media for IP infringement activities and good practices to address them (June 2021)
- Payment – Discussion Paper: Challenges and good practices for electronic payment services to prevent the use of their services for intellectual property-infringing activities (November 2021)
- Transport and Logistics – Discussion Paper: Challenges and good practices for transport and logistics services to prevent the use of their services for IP-infringing activities (September 2022)
- Live Event Piracy – Discussion Paper: Challenges and good practices from online intermediaries to prevent the use of their services for live event piracy (March 2023)
- Apps & App Stores – Discussion Paper: Challenges and good practices to prevent the use of apps and app stores for IP infringement activities (July 2024)
YouTube video: