The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, in coordination with the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights, said it confiscated P8.8 billion worth of pirated and counterfeit goods in the first half, exceeding the whole of last year’s P8.2 billion.
The first semester figure also represented a 530-percent increase over P1.4 billion registered in the same period in 2017.
“Surpassing the full-year, 2017 seizure is a matter of course given IPOPhl and NCIPR’s intensified campaign to curb the spread of fake goods since the beginning of the year. Any form of piracy is damaging not only to the local economy but also to the industries we cultivate, as well as the investors with valuable intellectual property, and the government which loses revenue with these fake goods,” said IPOPhl director-general Josephine Santiago.
“Moreover, while economic losses are sustained with these kinds of goods, the victims who would stand to suffer the most from this illicit trade are the public, as these counterfeiters and pirates ultimately compromise health and safety, not to mention cost people their jobs,” she said.