Value of seized fake goods dropped in 2012

A total of P5.2 billion worth of fake merchandise was seized in 2012, down 37.9 percent from the P8.38 billion worth of counterfeit items seized in 2011, indicating an improvement in the enforcement of intellectual property rights, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.IPOPHL director general Ricardo R. Blancaflor said his agency had partnered with the likes of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and even the US Embassy to further clamp down on IP violations.Philippine authorities noted an annual drop in the value of confiscated fake merchandise in 2012 from 2011 due to improved enforcement of intellectual property laws.Blancaflor said among the reasons for the drop were the high value of seizures in 2011, lower value of goods seized, change in command in relevant agencies, as well as less visible or minimized selling of fake goods in areas where IP enforcement is strong.“In terms of the number of pieces of seized items, 2012 has a bigger number than 2011 but in 2011, most of the seized items were Swiss watches, which are higher in value,” Blancaflor said.Among enforcement agencies, the National Bureau of Investigation seized the most counterfeit goods with the value estimated at P2.7 billion, down 48.22 percent from P5.22 billion in 2011.The Optical Media Board was second with P1.16 billion worth of goods seized, down 5.99 percent from P1.23 billion in 2011,  while the Bureau of Customs had P1.1 billion (down 26.67 percent from P1.5 billion) worth of seized fake items.The Philippine National Police chalked up P247 million worth of seizures, down 42.95 percent from P433 million the previous year.The bulk of the seized counterfeit items were luxury items such as handbags, followed by optical media such as digital video discs (CDs and DVDs).

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