'Class A of its own': San Juan City mall on US list of notorious markets for knockoffs
MANILA, Philippines — Greenhills Shopping Center, a mall in San Juan, is still among the world's 35 physical markets known for counterfeiting and piracy, according to a new report by the US Trade Representative (USTR).
"Many of the storefronts in this mall sell counterfeit goods, including electronics, perfumes, watches, shoes, accessories, and fashion items," USTR said in its "2021 Notorious Markets List."
"Although the Philippines government established an enforcement and monitoring agreement with the city of San Juan and created a working group composed of various agencies from the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), sellers of counterfeit goods are reportedly becoming bolder in displaying and openly discussing the illicit nature of the counterfeit goods, instead of discreetly hiding the counterfeit goods under the tables as they did in the past." it added.
Greenhills Shopping Center has long been part of the list, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said on Monday. The agency serves as the vice-chair of the NCIPR.
IPOPHL Deputy Director General Teodoro Pascua on Monday said they are looking at new strategies in implementing intellectual property (IP) rights in the mall.
"We are considering new approaches and efforts in institutionalizing IP respect in the mall, from the seller-community up to top-level management, to see its culture changed for the better," Pascua said in an emailed statement.
Fake goods and merchandise appeal to cash-strapped buyers because they are cheaper than the original brands. Aside from violating the IP rights, these counterfeit items may pose health and safety risks to consumers.
'Positive developments'
On Monday, IPOPHL pointed out that the USTR's latest report highlighted the Philippines and four other countries for notable efforts or positive developments in anti-counterfeit actions.
The report mentioned of the Bureau of Customs' seizure of counterfeit medicine and personal protective equipment in Manila, and a significant amount of fake luxury goods in Baclaran Bagong Milenyo Plaza, a mall in Pasay City.
USTR also brought up some initiatives of IPOPHL which signed several memorandums of understanding with institutions and shopping platforms to curb counterfeiting.
Since 2011, the USTR has been releasing its yearly notorious markets list which identifies physical and online markets which are reportedly involved in substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.
- Latest
- Trending
