Law Enforcement Destroys US$800 Million of Fake Goods
30 August 2013
Along with the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR), the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) gathered at the national headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Quezon City for the ceremonial destruction of counterfeit and pirated goods.
Since its inception, the NCIPR have seized approximately P35 billion (US$806 million) of counterfeits and pirated goods consisting of 52 million pieces, 60,000 boxes and 45 replicating machines. NCIPR members include IPOPHL, the Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the PNP.
In the first five months of 2013, the NCIPR carried out 960 enforcement actions in 986 local areas, including the Binondo, Quiapo, Greenhills and Metrowalk neighbourhoods in Manila. Seven-hundred-and ninety of those actions were retail outlet and factory inspections and the rest involved search warrants.
“Piracy affects not just our brand owners but also our government in terms of revenue losses aside from spending to run after infringers. IPOPHL is working hard to attend to the challenges associated with combating counterfeiting and piracy,” said IPOPHL Director General Ricardo Blancaflor.
The NBI tops all enforcement bodies confiscating approximately P793 million (US$18 million) worth of fakes. Seizures recorded by the Bureau of Customs was the second largest share at P471 million (US$11 million).
IPOPHL has also forged partnerships with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in 2013 to neutralize the proliferation of counterfeit and pirated items. BIR is expected to subject IP violators to tax investigation or even tax evasion charges.
