The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has retained Greenhills Shopping Center in its “notorious list” as a physical counterfeit hub in the country while Shopee was named as one of the online platforms where counterfeit items are also prevalent.
The 2024 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy identified 38 online markets and 33 physical markets that are reported to engage in or facilitate substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy in 2024.
The report, also called the Notorious Markets List, which was released this week by the USTR, Greenhills Shopping Center remained to be the lone physical market identified in the Philippines. It pointed out the mall’s continued popularity as a destination for counterfeit goods.
But the report also recognized the work between law enforcement authorities and right holders to conduct raids at the mall, the policy shift of the Greenhills Shopping Center to take action against counterfeit sellers, the collaborative strategy espoused by the national government and the whole-of-society collaboration to shift Greenhills’ towards a high-end mall with legitimate sellers.
“Rights holders have welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with government authorities and the Greenhills Shopping Center management to remove counterfeit sellers,” the report read.
Online markets also came under scrutiny, with Shopee, among others, identified for its persistent counterfeit issues across Southeast Asia and Latin America. However, the USTR acknowledged the platform’s new actions to curb counterfeits.
Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) officer-in-charge Nathaniel Arevalo said Shopee, as a signatory of the E-Commerce Memorandum of Understanding which IPOPHL facilitates, has been “cooperative” in addressing infringement concerns of brands that are signatories to the MOU.
The USTR nonetheless cited the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR), which IPOPHL serves as vice-chair, for its record-breaking seizure of counterfeit goods.
From January to September 2024, the NCIPR recorded $617.8 million-worth of counterfeit goods seized from ports of entry, physical markets and warehouses, surpassing the $471.4 million value in 2023.
The record was enlisted as a positive country development in the fight against counterfeiting for its indication of enhanced enforcement and coordination with stakeholders.
“This development reflects IPOPHL’s dedication to curb counterfeiting and our increased collaboration with rights holders to ensure action,” Arevalo said.
