Intellectual Property Rights in the Bangsamoro

Trivia: Did you know that intellectual property rights are mentioned in the Draft Bill Creating the Bangsamoro sub-state in Mindanao?

According Article V of the bill, intellectual property rights are categorized as one of the reserved powers of the Central Philippine Government. They found it wise to leave the management of this highly technical matter to the national government. 

This means that you won't be hearing of a Bangsamoro Intellectual Property Office in the near future. 

Nonetheless, I do hope the IPO sets up a regional office for the Bangsamoro because if and when the region is created, we should expect a whole lot of new businesses to come in.

When there is peace, there is greater room for art, beauty, discovery and exploration.

Copyright Infringement v. Plagiarism

People often mistake Copyright Infringement with Plagiarism because, on the surface, they often deal with the same thing -- improper copying. 

They are different, however, in that Copyright Infringement is a legal concept that delves more on property and ownership while Plagiarism is an academic and ethical concept, which deals with dishonesty and poor scholarship. 

Both concepts may intersect, but they may also exist apart from each other.

Here's a cheat sheet to help you all out with the two concepts:

Quick, What is a Trademark?