Complaints against IPR violations reach new record (Sabong News)
Author
Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat
Date
MARCH 25 2022
Complaints against piracy and counterfeiting violations reached a new record in 2021 to 151 or 25 percent higher from 121 in 2021 as more netizens filed their reports with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
In a statement, the IPOPHL said that netizens accounted for 113 or 75 percent of complaints filed. IPOPHL’s own monitoring and referrals from other government agencies added 29 or 19 of total, while intellectual property rights (IPR) holders contributed nine percent or six percent.
IPOPHL cited data from the IP Rights Enforcement Office (IEO) showing counterfeit issues garnered a total of 114 reports and complaints, making up for 75 percent of the total. Apparel items remained to be the most counterfeited as it accounted for 85 counts or 75 percent. Perfume and beauty products followed with a total of eight counts (7%), next to five of pharmaceutical and medical products (4%) and five of other items, such as umbrellas and keychains (4%).
On piracy, the IEO received 37 reports and complaints. General and educational books and e-books accounted for 49 percent with 18 counts. Software and TV shows/movies were the next most sold or shared illegally online, with each having nine records and a 24 percent share to the total piracy count.
Piracy and counterfeiting continued to rage in the online space as 136 or 90% of the 2021 reports and complaints noted that the violations took place in e-commerce platforms, social media and other websites.
Facebook remained at the center of alleged IP violations, as shown in 87 records focused online. It was followed by Shopee with 27 reports or complaints; Lazada with 10; Instagram with four; and Carousell with two.
“We are inspired to see the online community continuing to take charge in creating a more alert IP environment amid rising demand for content and renewed consumer appetite. The surge of counterfeiting and piracy reports since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has then been met with our stronger IP awareness and enforcement efforts to counter this trend. The active support of netizens in combating IP violations is a concrete result of our efforts,” IEO Officer-in-Charge Ann N. Edillon said.
“We encourage IP rights holders to take advantage of IP protection features on online platforms to discover more strategic ways to counter IP violations,” Edillion added.
In the event that online IP protection features cannot resolve the IP rights holder’s issues, a formal complaint can be filed at IPOPHL for further assessment and an issuance of an enforcement order from the IEO or a restraining order from the Bureau of Legal Affairs.
Edillon noted that the IEO welcomes reports through its e-mail (
), mobile number (+639950220522) and Facebook Page.
“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.” Director General Rowel S. Barba said.
