In Southeast Asia (particularly Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam), GIPC has worked with government IP bodies and journalists to promote IP protection. We have organized seminars in which local business representatives, economists, and government officials have discussed the role that IP protection plays in promoting local innovation and economic development. Counterfeiting and piracy are major concerns for U.S. companies, as DVDs, software, apparel, and pharmaceuticals are copied and sold illegally throughout the region.  The issuance of compulsory licenses for pharmaceuticals and the institutional weakening of intellectual property rights pose challenges for U.S. companies in the region.

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

In APEC, the 21-member Asia-Pacific economic grouping that includes the United States and the major economies of Asia such as China and Japan, GIPC has worked with the IP Experts Group (IPEG) to promote public awareness about the economic benefits of IP protection. We have organized opportunities for the private sector to talk with the officials in IPEG about the IP issues facing companies operating in the Asia-Pacific. Earlier we organized a forum to discuss examples of how governments and companies had mounted successful public education campaigns to bolster understanding about why IP protection is an important driver of innovation and economic growth. We published a booklet called Stopping Fakes: Building Awareness, A Private Sector Perspective on IP Public Awareness Campaigns.

Resources

• Stopping Fakes - Building Awareness
• Thailand Compulsory Licenses Briefing

Related Links

• Campaign for Fighting Diseases
• Global Pharma Health Fund
• PhRMA's Partnership for Prescription Assistance