P5.3 billion fake goods seized in Q1

MANILA, Philippines — Around P5.3 billion worth of counterfeit and pirated goods were seized by various agencies under the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) in the first quarter as they look to surpass last year’s haul of P8.2 billion.

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the lead coordinator of the NCIPR, said fake cigarettes and cigarette production equipment made up the bulk of seizures at P5 billion, followed by handbags and wallets at P137 million and optical media at P103 million.

The P 5.3 billion worth of seized fake goods in the first three months alone already accounted for more than half of the total amount confiscated last year.

“The 2018 first quarter seizure reflects a triple-digit growth from the comparable period last year and attests to IPOPHL and NCIPR’s unflagging efforts to stamp out the spread of counterfeit and pirated goods. This first seizure does not even reflect yet the value seized by the Bureau of Customs which routinely impounds a substantial amount of fake goods from the country’s gateways,” IPOPHL director general Josephine Santiago said.

“With this strong showing in enforcement of IP rights, we believe we can surpass the P8.2 billion in fake and counterfeit items gotten in 2017,” Santiago added.

In the same period last year, the value of counterfeit and fake goods seized by the NCIPR amounted to P886 million. 

The Philippine National Police confiscated the lion’s share of the haul at 94 percent, or P5 billion, followed by the National Bureau of Investigation at P209 million, and the Optical Media Board at P103 million.

IPOPHL said the Bureau of Customs has yet to submit its enforcement data for the period.

The agency pointed out that the value of fake goods confiscated by the government fluctuates every year, depending on the class of goods and the market value of the original goods in the formal economy.

“This substantial take in the first quarter alone indicates the aggressive drive of our enforcement partners to clamp down on proliferating fake and counterfeit goods. Government has been persistent not just in impeding entry of these goods through the ports, but also in apprehending local manufacturers and distributors of these products,” IPOPHL deputy director general Teodoro Pascua said.

“Even with this significant take of counterfeit and pirated goods, we know we are not hitting the root of the problem yet.