With the Christmas season already upon us, it's a suitable time to prepare for this joyous and festive period by buying gifts for our family, friends and loved ones.

But I hope everyone remembers that the saying, "it's the thought that counts," doesn't apply when giving fake brands or counterfeit products as gifts so that you can save money. These kinds of gifts don't last long, at the least; and are dangerous for the receiver of the gifts, at the most.

One of the important tasks of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines or IPOPHL is the conduct of intellectual property enforcement operations with the help of agencies like the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Customs. These include inspection and raid operations, which lead to the seizure of counterfeit goods to prevent them from being sold to consumers.

While these operations help protect the rights of IP holders, it also protects the safety of consumers like you and me. IP — particularly trademarks — serves as a vital component in consumer safety by protecting the public from counterfeit products. Trademarks like brands serve as an identification of goods and services. If these brands offer a certain degree of quality and assurance of safety, this helps them to acquire goodwill from consumers and a reputation that makes them stand out in the market.

However, counterfeit or fake branded items destroy the goodwill and reputation by not offering the quality expected from the brand. These may not last as long as the original branded products, and they could even be a danger to one's health because of the use of hazardous materials or substandard build.

Why would you give fake branded rubber shoes or the counterfeit of a well-known leather bag if the colors fade quickly and the zippers break easily? Why would you give baby products or children's toys if the materials used are toxic? Why would you give an appliance or a power bank that might overheat and explode because it's dubiously branded?

I would like to point out that counterfeiting is also a big business. Last April, the NBI, a member of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights, which IPOPHL leads as acting chair, seized 755 pieces of fake Louis Vuitton products worth P63 million in the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City.

Because these businesses earn so much from their counterfeit products, they are more than willing to risk facing prosecution for conducting these illicit activities. In the meantime, IP stakeholders and consumers who take the risk of buying fake and counterfeit products will be the ones who have to face the consequences.

I would also like to reiterate the importance of protecting the IP rights of our stakeholders because this helps to incentivize and encourage our innovators and inventors to keep on creating. Without the protection afforded by their IP rights, they would lose opportunities in bringing their products to market and helping to keep them competitive.

So, as you shop for Christmas gifts for this holiday season, remember to give safe presents that aren't fake or counterfeit. While you might spend more, you'll also be taking the recipient's safety and health into account — and that's the thought that really counts.