In the next three months, some P9.3 billion worth of counterfeit goods will be destroyed as part of the Philippine government’s drive to enforce intellectual property rights (IPR).
The program began on April 6, when the first batch of items condemned by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) were destroyed. Stored in a warehouse in Cabuyao, Laguna and worth P300,000, they consisted of fake goods ranging from shirts, sho
es, and toys to electronic products and food seasoning with brands such as Havaianas, Abercrombie, Crocs, Hollister, Johnson&Johnson’s, Olay, Jergens, Nike, Prada, Sebago, Lee, Vans, Sperry, Tod’s, Zara, Ecko, Tommy Hilfiger, Puma, and Disney.
All counterfeit goods were seized through various warrants of seizure and detention issued by the BOC in 2014; confiscation operations were jointly conducted by BOC, IPOPHL, the National Bureau of Investigation, and Philippine National Police.
“Border control is key to enforcement. Rest assured that the BOC will continue its drive in preventing the entry of counterfeit products in the country,” Customs commissioner Alberto Lina said in a statement.
IPOPHL director general Josephine R. Santiago vowed to continue the progress made by the country in IPR enforcement. She explained that “enforcement is part of IPOPHL’s vision which is (to become) an IP-conscious Philippines by 2020.”
Other than violating intellectual property rights, the counterfeit goods also endanger health and safety of consumers with their unsafe or sub-standard levels.
In 2014 and 2015, the Philippines was removed from the United States Trade Representative Special 301 Watch List after the national government adopted a holistic approach to curbing counterfeiting and piracy that included strong inter-agency coordination at the national level and enhanced public-private partnership.
Meanwhile, a public auction of seized merchandise with a total floor price of P7.015 million will be held by the BOC’s Auction and Cargo Disposal Division on April 11 at the Port of Manila. Up for sale through sealed bidding are used industrial machineries, grocery items, auto spare parts, aquarium accessories, used bicycles, toys, motorcycle parts, one used Harley Davidson Softail, and other assorted items such as houseware, kitchenware, and RTW clothes.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
