Last Updated: (GMT+08:00) Thursday, August 28, 2008USC to draft policies on intellectual property In response to a national directive for schools to adopt
strict policies protecting rights to intellectual property (IP), the University
of San Carlos held a seminar on the
issue, 1 August 2008, 8:30-4:00 p.m., at the Buttenbruch Hall of the
Main Campus.
Atty. Andrew Michael Ong, former architecture and law
faculty and a noted IP expert, was invited to speak before selected
representatives of the colleges and non-teaching units directly affected by the
issue.
In his opening remarks, USC President Fr. Dionisio Miranda,
SVD, gave a slideshow on the moral implications of piracy, invoking the
Biblical commandment against stealing.
“We have a lot of material that we have been sharing with
people free of charge,” he said. “I believe we need to change the rules here a
little bit.”
According to the moral theologian who has written several
articles on “biopiracy,” scientists stealing traditional knowledge from
indigenous communities and those patenting life-forms for profit may yet be
committing “mortal sin against stewardship.”
For his part, Ong admits that the crucial lack of awareness
among Filipinos on the importance of protecting their original ideas and
creations has serious economic consequences.
“It is true that we are losing by default to other
countries,” he said. “Our ideas are being stolen because we do not know that
they are intellectual properties.”
After going over the principles and procedures of securing IP
protection, Ong answered questions, particularly those concerning the
University.
“The university is a very good source of intellectual
property,” he said referring to the body of knowledge that students and faculty
produce on a regular basis. It is therefore proper, according to Ong, that
schools do its share in promoting the culture of creativity and not that of
copying.
In the impromptu dialog at the close of the seminar,
representatives of the different colleges aired concerns and questions to Fr.
Miranda and the guest speaker on IP issues and concerns
affecting their programs. These were noted for later deliberation in the
drafting of the “1st USC IP Policy.”
Author: Web Office 02 / August / 2008
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