Pirated goods to be destroyed

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines will lead the ceremonial destruction today of some P9.3 billion worth of counterfeit and pirated goods.

Seized goods include shirts, shoes, toys, electronic products and food seasoning.

IPOPHL will be joined by the Bureau of Customs and other member-agencies of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) at the ceremony, which is also meant to “mark the start of condemnation and destruction of seized, smuggled counterfeit goods.”

It will take place at the destruction facility of JPT Pro-Earth Services Inc. in Cabuyao, Laguna.

All of the fake goods are expected to be destroyed within 75 days.

Over the past years, the Philippines has made significant strides in the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the country.

In April 2014, the Philippines was finally stricken off the USTR Special 301 Watch List, after 20 years.

The country  has remained out of the list since then.

In a letter to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the IPOPHL made its case anew as to why it should remain out of the US list of piracy hotspots.

The US agency is conducting its annual review and earlier sought comments from different government and industry groups.