Record-high P35-B worth of fake products seized as of September

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The government has confiscated P35.24 billion worth of pirated goods in the first nine months of the year, setting a record for the value of seized contraband, with expectations to reach P40 billion by year’s end, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).

Rowel Barba, director general of IPOPHL, said on Tuesday that the government was able to seize more counterfeit goods due to increased enforcement efforts of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) as well as “an unprecedented level of collaboration” among committee members and rights holders.

“Dismantling counterfeiting networks is not merely regulatory, it’s foundational in spurring economic growth and upholding the values of fairness that we hold as a people,” Barba said during the 2024 NCIPR High-Level Meeting held at the Admiral Hotel Manila.

READ: Demand for PH copyright protection at all-time high

NCIPR is a multi-agency team tasked with developing and executing plans and policies to enhance the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the country.

He said that the tally in the January-to-September period surpassed the previous record of P26.89 billion seen last year.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) contributed about 99 percent of the total haul for the period or P35.20 billion, much higher compared than last year’s P25.38 billion.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation confiscated P25.36 million and P14.5 million worth of contraband, respectively.

“The BOC and the rest of the NCIPR have been relentless in rooting out counterfeits in both online markets and storefronts,” said Christine Canlapan, supervising director of IPOPHL’s Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Office.

‘IP Seal’

With the holiday season approaching, the BOC, as the main contributor of the total, expressed optimism that it will seize P40 billion worth of counterfeits by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the IPOPHL also announced that it was developing guidelines on the issuance of an Intellectual Property Seal or “IP Seal” to qualified commercial entities, both online and offline.

“Our target for next year is the drafting of the guidelines because it needs consultation also with different agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry because we also have the Bagwis seal, also the Trust seal under the Internet Transactions Act. So it needs to be in coherence with those which have already been issued … and full implementation may be early 2026,” Canlapan added.

The IP Seal aims to enhance consumer confidence when dealing with merchants that provide legitimate products in line with intellectual property laws.

“We are optimistic that this will translate to an increase in online and offline commercial transactions which will contribute to the country’s economic growth,” IPOPHL said in a statement. —Mariedel Irish U. Catilogo