The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines said Friday it received 151 counterfeiting and piracy reports from consumers and complaints from rights holders in 2021, up 25 percent and surpassing the previous record of 121 in 2020.
“Although netizens have given us a boost in IP rights awareness through their reports, there is still much to be done to safeguard IPs in e-commerce and social media sites. We must fortify our efforts to combat fakes and piracy online, considering the steady role of online activities in reopening the economy,” said IPOPHL director-general Rowel Barba.
Complaints from netizens which reached 113 or 75 percent contributed the most to the new record, followed by IPOPHL’s own monitoring and referrals from other government agencies at 19 percent, and intellectual property rights holders at 6 percent, according to data from the IP Rights Enforcement Office.
Counterfeiting garnered 114 reports and complaints, making up for 75 percent of the total. Apparel items remained the most imitated, accounting for 85 counts or 75 percent.