Government agencies confiscated a total of P29.2 billion in counterfeit products from January to November this year, according to the latest data from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
This figure marks a 56.65-percent increase from the P18.64 billion worth of illicit goods seized in the first nine months of the year.
Still, the amount remains P11.79 billion short of the record-high seizures for the full year in 2024.
IPOPHL acting Director General Nathaniel Arevalo said more data still needs to be consolidated to determine whether the gap reflects a decline in counterfeiting activity or weaker enforcement.
As part of the 15-member National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights, the IPOPHL collates seizure data from law enforcement agencies. These include the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, Optical Media Board, Bureau of Customs, and the Food and Drug Administration.
“If counterfeiting has truly declined, then we’re all happy because that means there is strong collaboration between the private and public sectors, the government and the brand owners, with respect to the campaign against counterfeiting,” Arevalo told reporters.
Arevalo said that apparel continued to account for the largest share of seized counterfeit products. In 2024, confiscated items in this category accounted for 40 percent of the total.
Products from the sporting goods company Nike and luxury bag maker Louis Vuitton were the most frequently copied, he said.
IPOPHL also works on taking down illegal websites as part of its antipiracy drive. As of November, three complaints filed led to the takedown of 21 websites.
Most of the flagged sites were free streaming platforms and their mirror websites or duplicate pages hosted on different servers.
For its antipiracy campaign, IPOPHL works directly with internet service providers (ISPs) under a memorandum of agreement, including Globe, PLDT, Smart and Sky.
For ISPs not covered by the agreement, such as Converge, IPOPHL coordinates with the National Telecommunications Commission to order the takedown of illicit websites. (Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
