'Brunei's poor intellectual property rights protection a cause of concern'

INTELLECTUAL property rights (IPR) in Brunei is a significant concern for the US, said US Ambassador William Todd.

"We work closely with the Government of Brunei on IPR issues, but we believe Brunei can do more to protect intellectual property," Todd said in a media statement to The Brunei Times.

Brunei should enhance IPR protection and enforcement of IPR violations, Todd commented. He said that the US Embassy, together with other US government agencies, is working closely with the government on training and other opportunities to increase the protection of intellectual property.

Independent news, features and analysis provider on international IP policymaking, Intellectual Property Watch, reported earlier this week that nations ranging from Brazil to Brunei to Russia are failing to properly protect the intellectual property assets of US companies and others, and international organisations are not doing enough to stop it.

Meanwhile, an industry group issued detailed recommendations for the incoming Obama administration's changes to the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The problems in other nations extend from Brazil's failure to issue patents for commercially significant inventions by US inventors, to an almost-complete piracy-based economy in Brunei, to an only-modest drop in the rate of Russian piracy from 65 per cent to 58 per cent, the report stated.

The attachés, speaking at an event organised by the US Chamber of Commerce and its recently beefed-up Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC), blasted the record of familiar intellectual property trouble zones like Brunei, Thailand and Russia.

But the problems extend to the attitudes and omissions of major trading partners like Brazil, India and even well-developed European nations, said the attachés.

Attorney-General Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifli said in March last year that Brunei has sufficient resources to combat piracy, but enforcement capability, particularly in the area of copyright and trademarks, is "unfortunately handicapped" as there are few right holders in the country.