Bicam Approves Amendments To IP Law

Bicam Approves Amendments To IP Law

The bicameral conference committee approved recently the reconciled version of the bill amending the Intellectual Property (IP) Code.

In a meeting held at Traders Hotel, the conferees from the Senate and the House of Representatives succeeded to reconcile the disagreeing provisions on Senate Bill 2842 and House Bill 3841.

The chairman of the Committee on Trade and Commerce, said there is a need to update RA 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code to better equip the country against intellectual theft and protect copyrighted works.

Among the approved amendments is the provision exempting the blind or visually-impaired persons from securing permission for the non-commercial reproduction of copyrighted works for their use.

The committee also amended the law to include a provision that will strengthen the protection of audio-visual performances of Filipino artists.

An updated IP law is needed to boost copyright-based industries and further promote its competitive advantage especially because CBIs contribute almost 5 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. /MP