Action to combat piracy urged

Action to combat piracy urged

JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should join forces to combat rampant copyright and trademark piracy in the region, officials and experts on intellectual property rights said on Friday.

Closer cooperation and coordination among intellectual property offices, law enforcement and custom agencies were instrumental to combat copyright piracy, the ASEAN policy forum on intellectual property rights concluded in a statement at the end of a three-day meeting in Denpasar, Bali.

"The Forum agreed on the importance of strong ASEAN cooperation in the enforcement of intellectual property rights, including cross-border measures, the exchange of information and sharing of experiences in deterring violations or combating piracy and counterfeiting."

"Demystification of intellectual property to the general public through awareness and outreach programs" was also important to effective enforcement, it said.

"The Forum emphasized the need to promote greater awareness and understanding of intellectual property at every echelon of the society, in particular, among policy makers, intellectual property offices and administrations," the statement said.

The Forum also raised the importance of "the protection and the creation of a system that will avoid unscrupulous exploitation of traditional knowledge".

"Although traditional knowledge has become prominent ... there has not been adequate international legal protection. A consultation mechanism should be established to build international consensus on the issues," the Forum said.

The forum was co-organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Ministry of Law and Legislation's Directorate General of Intellectual Property Rights. (byg)