The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) targets to get the Greenhills Shopping Center out of the list of the United States notorious physical markets for counterfeit goods, according to deputy director general Teodoro Pascua.
Pascua said IPOPHL recently formed within the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) a technical working group that is specifically tasked to address issues with Greenhills.
“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.
The US Trade Representative tagged anew the San Juan-based mall as one of the 35 notorious physical markets for counterfeit goods in 2021 .
While the mall has long been on the list for selling fake electronics, perfumes, watches, shoes, accessories and fashion items, the USTR noted a new concern this time.
It said i sellers are “becoming bolder in displaying and openly discussing the illicit nature of the counterfeit goods, instead of discretely hiding the counterfeit goods under the tables as they did in the past.”
This is despite the government’s strengthened efforts particularly through an enforcement and monitoring agreement with the local government and the creation of a working group composed of various agencies from the NCIPR and the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
The Notorious Markets List is an annual list released by the USTR since 2011. It highlights
online and physical markets that reportedly engage in or facilitate substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy, and aims to help market operators and governments protect IPs of American businesses.
The USTR nevertheless praised the Philippines and for “positive developments” in anti-counterfeit actions by the government, IPOPHL said.
The Bureau of Customs, a member of the NCIPR was noted for its seizure of counterfeit medicine and personal protective equipment in Manila, as well as a substantial amount of counterfeit luxury goods in Pasay.
The USTR also cited some critical partnerships that IPOPHL sealed last year, such as with the International Trademark Association and the Asia Video Industry Association, to curb counterfeiting and piracy, respectively as well as the agency’s contribution in making possible the landmark memorandum of understanding (MOU) between brand owners and e-commerce platforms Lazada and Shopee. The MOU establishes a notice-and-takedown procedure and a feedback mechanism for right holders.
