Piracy in e-commerce sites linked to safety issues

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The government was urged to ramp up its fight against piracy and intellectual property rights violations as these carry serious implications on safety and consumer confidence.

One area where piracy is having a harmful impact is the production and labeling of elastomeric (rubber-like) sealants which are used for construction amd home repairs.

According to a sealant manufacturer in the country, fake elastomeric sealant products continued to proliferate and have invaded online markets.

In a statement, the sealant manufacturing company said test buys made in popular e-commerce sites yielded counterfeit sealants that are not quality-tested and could prove to be unsafe.

“We are gathering evidence which we will turn over to authorities to help in our campaign against counterfeit products,” said a statement issued by Bostik Philippines, an elastomeric sealant manufacturer besieged by the proliferation of counterfeits.

Elastomeric sealants are essential for home repairs and construction. Poor quality sealants are dangerous.

“These nefarious traders not only taint the reputation of the products they are selling, but they are also casting these e-commerce sites in a bad light if they are not dealt with properly,” said the statement.

It said an aggressive campaign is ongoing against the proliferation of counterfeit elastomeric sealants in the past months, with authorities hunting down makers of these products. It said counterfeit elastomeric sealants put in jeopardy the safety and integrity of structures.

“Despite carrying brands and trademarks associated with our company, we cannot guarantee the quality of these counterfeit products as these were made outside our manufacturing facilities,” the statement said.

Last year, operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation busted four warehouses in Caloocan City which yielded millions of pesos worth of counterfeit sealants.

The statement said the company continues to receive information on the sale of counterfeit sealants in key cities and towns.

It appealed to the public to send photos or information about counterfeit Bostik products through hotline number 7900-5656 or email [email protected].

TSB