Friday, October 12, 2007 The problem of corruption in IP rights By Clint Fabiosa & Andrew Ong I.protect
CORRUPTION is a significant problem in a number of countries around the world that are trying to enforce intellectual property rights. Part of this is related to just how much money is at stake. When there is a lot of money involved in an activity, there is bound to be some corruption.
Another aspect of intellectual property piracy is organized crime. Criminal organizations, both in the United States and around the world, are involved in the production and distribution of pirated and counterfeit goods in all levels.
Study shows that in places where corruption is widespread, intellectual property enforcement is widely affected. Although several countries have IP laws, those laws are not applied in practice. In some countries, infringed goods and counterfeits are not actually destroyed. They enter back into the stream of commerce which is not in the best interest of the rights holders or the public.
