Gov’t seizes P14 B counterfeit goods in 7 months

The value of counterfeit goods seized by the government reached close to P14 billion in the January to July period, with cigarettes and alcohol products topping the haul, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

IPOPHL said the counterfeit items worth P13.73 billion confiscated by the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) during the seven-month period is nearly 60 percent of full-year 2018’s record-high haul of P23.6 billion.

NCIPR promotes the protection and enforcement of IPR in the country.

Aside from the IPOPHL, other agencies part of the NCIPR are the Department of Justice, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Customs, Philippine National Police, Optical Media Board, National Telecommunications Commission, National Book Development Board, Food and Drug Administration, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Office of the Special Envoy on Transnational Crime, and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Of the total confiscated counterfeit goods as of end-July, bulk was accounted for by cigarettes and alcohol products valued at P456.80 million.

Taking the second spot are pharmaceuticals and personal care products valued at P455.20 million, followed by handbags or wallets at third with P449.88 million.

Completing the top five are optical media worth P190.72 million and footwear valued at P130.12 million.

Counterfeit cigarettes and alcohol, as well as pharmaceutical products were also the top confiscated goods by the NCIPR last year.

“The implementation of the hike in new and huge taxes on tobacco will start next year. Also, we are closely watching developments on the proposal to impose taxes on alcohol products and e-cigarettes and other vapor products. As early as now, we are readying ourselves for the possible rise of counterfeiting of these products by intensifying our exploration of new enforcement strategies to employ,” IPOPHL director general Josephine Santiago said.

As part of efforts to promote and enforce IPR, she said there is a move to get more agencies on board the NCIPR.

Inclusion of agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Immigration, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology will be discussed during the first high-level NCIPR meeting on Sept. 25.

During the meeting, there will also be discussions on IPR enforcement in the online space, allocation of budget to boost personnel of NCIPR members engaged in IPR enforcement, putting a stop to the use of unlicensed software in government offices, intensifying the anti-camcording campaign, as well as the 2019 to 2022 Action Plan.

In line with stepping up efforts on IPR enforcement, NCIPR members participated in a capacity-building workshop organized by the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office and attended by other enforcement authorities in Southeast Asia last week to learn about best practices.

In addition, IPOPHL is working closely with the judiciary for speedy resolution of cases on IPR violations.