Value of seized counterfeit goods reaches P35B, says gov’t

The total value of counterfeit and pirated products seized by member agencies of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) has reached over P35 billion since 2005.

This is proof that the government is serious in its commitment to combat counterfeiting and piracy and help instill among Filipinos a healthy respect for intellectual property rights, said Ricardo Blancaflor, director general of NCIPR member-agency Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).

For the first five months of 2013 alone, Blancaflor disclosed that the NCIPR confiscated P1.58 billion worth of counterfeit items as a result of of 960 enforcement operations in 986 areas nationwide.

Of these activities, 790 were inspections of retail outlets and production areas and 170 were raids conducted after search warrants were secured.

Out of these enforcement operations, 17 were conducted in Binondo, five in Quiapo, one in Greenhills and one in Metrowalk, he added.

Based on records, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) tops all IP enforcement agencies when it comes to seizure of counterfeit goods, having confiscated P793 million worth of fake goods as of May this year.

Seizures made by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) accounted for the second largest share at P471 million while those items confiscated by the Optical Media Board (OMB) were valued at P310.96 million.

Blancaflor assured the public that the NCIPR would pursue its quest to address the worldwide problem of counterfeiting and piracy, stressing that the brand owners were not the only ones affected.

“Piracy affects not just our brand owners but also our government in terms of revenue losses aside from spending to run after infringers. The IPOPHL is also working hard to attend to the multiple challenges associated with combating counterfeiting and piracy,”’ Blancaflor said.

Meanwhile, NCIPR member agencies yesterday gathered at Camp Crame in Quezon City for the ceremonial destruction of counterfeit and pirated goods seized since the start of the year.

Members of the NCIPR include the NBI, BOC, OMB, Department of Justice (DOJ), the Philippine National Police (PNP), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), National Book Development Board (NBDB), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Office of the Special Envoy on Transnational Crime (OSETC), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the IPOPHL.