The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) reported that counterfeit and piracy reports lodged at its office surged by a whopping 286 percent during the first half of the year, driven by complaints concerning pirated gaming software, as well as bootlegged apparel, perfume, and beauty products.
IPOPHL said it recorded 200 reports of counterfeit and piracy incidents from January to June this year, from just 52 in the same period in 2022. Piracy concerns totaled 152, or 76 percent of the total, a significant increase from only nine reports in the first half of the previous year.
“The spike in piracy reports is interesting as what or who drove them,” IPOPHL Deputy Director General Ann Claire Cabochan said in a statement.
She added that 135, or 89 percent of the total piracy reports were filed by a single individual who reported on pirated gaming software.
Meanwhile, the agency received 48 reports on counterfeiting, growing by 9 percent from just 43 last year. It said these counterfeit reports involved fake apparel, perfume, and beauty products, as well as accessories. It also added that these reports involved products sold online, of which 69 percent and 7 percent cited e-commerce platforms Lazada and Shopee, respectively. Another 20 percent cited Facebook while 1 percent involved Instagram.
IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba commended the concerned individuals who are reporting these incidents, but noted that IP rights holders should push for the enforcement of their IP rights more actively.
The country has managed to successfully stay off copyright blacklists for some time now, but a sudden increase in copyright infringements could be worrying, especially if it were the start of a trend. The latest increase is due to reports from individuals, which shows vigilance on the end of Filipinos. With the cooperation of government and IP rights holders, the Philippines should be able to keep counterfeits and piracy at bay.*
