Counterfeiting Complaints Drops in the Philippines
29 August 2022
From January through June, the number of complaints and reports of piracy and counterfeiting filed with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) decreased to 56, a 48 percent decrease from the 107 complaints and reports filed during the same time in 2021.
The Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Office (IEO) of IPOPHL revealed that phony clothing, shoes, purses, and eyeglasses accounted for 66% of all counterfeiting accusations.
With a 9.1% stake, gadgets come in second, then perfume and beauty goods come in third, then other things like keychains and umbrellas come in fourth with a 4.5 percent share.
However, in the first half of the year, pirate reports were outpaced by television episodes and motion pictures. Additionally, reports of software, general e-books, and works of art were pirated.
The IEO officer in charge Ann Edillon said that the decrease in complaints and reports may be due to a potential dip in the occurrence of piracy and counterfeiting in the first half of the year.
The majority of the complaints and reports that IPOPHL received in the first half of the year came from netizens, then brand and rights owners.
"This consistent support for intellectual property enforcement that we have been receiving for the past several years is a reflection of the empowerment of our online community and the concerned public as a result of our activities to raise awareness of intellectual property rights. Additionally, more and more owners of brands and intellectual property have come forward to express their worries about having their rights protected. As we start to feel the impacts of the recovering economy, we want to encourage the kind of proactive intellectual property rights protection," Teodoro Pascua described.
- Excel V. Dyquiangco
