IPOPHL, gov’t offices get help in detecting fake Japanese goods
IPOPHL’s IEO joins the Bureau of Customs in destroying counterfeit items in a Bulacan warehouse in July 2021. Estimated at P2 billion, the seized items include brands such as Nike, Adidas, Lacoste, Gucci, Victoria’s Secret, Jo Malone, Clinique and Dior, among others. (File photo from Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines)
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) on Monday said it had partnered with several Japanese bodies to strengthen its capacity and other local government agencies to identify counterfeit Japanese products.
The IPOPHL said it conducted a training seminar in partnership with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), and member companies of the International Intellectual Property Protection Forum (IIPPF) for various members of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR).
The 15-member NCIPR is chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the IPOPHL’s parent agency, with members including the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Philippine National Police and the Optical Media Board (OMB).
The training covered Japanese goods such as automotive products, electronics, agri machinery, and mechanical machinery, according to the IPOPHL.
Meanwhile, newly appointed IPOPHL Director General Brigitte M. da Costa-Villaluz told Japanese firms about the ongoing efforts of her office to build an enforcement regime with faster and more efficient resolutions.
“IPOPHL recognizes the challenges posed by lengthy judicial proceedings in the aftermath of criminal crackdown. To address these challenges, IPOPHL offers alternative methods of enforcement which can lead to more efficient resolutions,” she said in a statement.
“These include strengthening collaboration with e-commerce platforms to facilitate prompt removal of counterfeit listings under the E-Commerce (memorandum of understanding) and settling IP disputes through alternative dispute resolution,” da Costa-Villaluz added.
Local authorities seized P40.9 billion worth of counterfeit products in 2024, marking a record-high haul for the government’s campaign against these illicit activities.
The value of confiscated contraband last year increased by 52 percent compared with the P26.9 billion in 2023.
Seizures of counterfeit items in the Philippines have been fluctuating annually in the last several years, with the confiscated value reaching P22.1 billion in 2019, P9.7 billion in 2020, P24.9 billion in 2021, and P9.4 billion in 2022.
