THE National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) urged the public not to patronize counterfeit products, especially those that are sold online.
Teodoro Pascua, Deputy General for Operations, Policy and Enforcement of Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), said they are conducting a crackdown on online selling and distribution of counterfeit and pirated goods, especially on unregistered medicines.
“Seeing the measures taken by the Food and Drug Administration to bar health products to be sold online, we are emboldened to do the same and actively seek a dialogue with online intermediaries,” Pascua said.
If the products involve health, he said that penalties will be heavier if it will cause harm to the users.
On the other hand, Pascua said that any product online, whether medicines or other items like bags but counterfeit or copies are illegal.
“Whether it’s class A, B or C, these are counterfeits and they are supposed to be absent from the market. There are others who market their products as ‘authentic copies,’ and it deceives the individual. They’re all fake,” he said.
From January to April 2019, the NCIPR managed to seize P663.3 million worth of counterfeit and pirated goods, an 89 percent drop from the P6.5 billion seized in the same period in 2018.
Sixty-five percent of the seized value are pharmaceutical and personal care products, 11 percent are handbags and wallets, 10.3 percent are watches and jewelry and 4.2 percent are apparel and accessories.
Pascua also warned the public to scrutinize the online selling sites they are using. He noted that Shopee, one of the country’s e-commerce platforms, has been reported to be selling counterfeit products.
“Shopee has been reported to be purveying counterfeits. In fact, it was relayed by the United States trade relations officers that we have to run after Shopee. The point here is, we are in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry, that those who sell online should be registered and we have to know who the owner is and where they can be located,” he said.
The IPOPHL also coordinated with the Philippine National Police to strengthen the knowledge of the law enforcers on IPO-related crimes. The NCIPR conducted a two-day workshop for law enforcers and prosecutors at the Cebu Parklane International Hotel, Cebu City on Thursday, June 20, 2019. (JOB)