San Juan mall promises cooperation against sale of counterfeit goods
MANILA, Philippines — Management of a mall in San Juan City where P63 million worth of counterfeit goods were seized this week has offered to put up an intellectual property rights office there and will cooperate with authorities to curb the sale of fake goods, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines said.
In a statement Wednesday, IPOPHL said 755 pieces of fake Louis Vuitton products were confiscated at the mall by the 15-member National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights on Monday.
The National Bureau of Investigation, which is a member of the NCIPR, led the operation. The raid is part of the NCIPR's goal to remove the shopping center from the USTrade Representative's list of notorious markets for counterfeiting and piracy.
Greenhills Shopping Center was tagged as one of the 35 physical markets in the world known for counterfeiting and piracy, according to a 2021 report by the USTR. It is the only mall in the Philippines to be included in the list.
"Unless drastically changed, Greenhills' reputation as a go-to for fake goods will damage our country’s reputation, eventually affecting our economic interests in the US and other trading partners that highly value intellectual property (IP) protection," IPOPHL Deputy Director General Teodoro Pascua said in the statement.
The NCIPR will be working with mall management to address the increasing sales of counterfeit items through action plan meetings, according to Pascua.
IPOPHL said in the statement that "Greenhills’ External Affairs Head and Legal Manager Atty. Isagani I. Elacio assured that the group will coordinate with the Committee for further action plans."
"Aware of the company’s perception among enforcement groups and its negative standing in USTR reviews, Atty. Elacio has offered to provide an in-site office for NCIPR member staff to help educate Greenhills tenants and enforce IP rights protection," the office also said.
Fake goods and merchandise are attractive to cash-strapped buyers because they are cheaper than the original brands. Counterfeit items may pose health and safety risks to consumers, aside from violating IP rights.
Fighting counterfeiting on the local level
Pascua said they want each barangay and city to establish an anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy policy (ACAP) in line with a memorandum circular of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
The memorandum circular no. 2020-124 requires all local governments to issue an ordinance banning the sale and trade of counterfeit or fake goods. It also requires business establishments engaged in optical media to secure an OMB (Optical Media Board) license before getting a business permit.
Pascua believes that compliance to the circular will speed up enforcement activities.
Malabon and Muntinlupa are one of the first few cities to roll out ACAPs.
IPOPHL said it will be soon be reaching out to the cities of Baguio and Cebu to help them develop ACAPs.
Last year, the NCIPR team confiscated a total of P25.9 billion worth of counterfeit and pirated goods, a record-high haul amid the easing of lockdown restrictions which led to the rise in raids.
- Latest
- Trending
