Nestlé Philippines Inc. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with online platforms and brand owners, industry associations and chambers of commerce to support brand rights protection against counterfeit products.

The world's largest food and beverage company joins the long and impressive roster of multinational brand partners, as well as dominant e- commerce platforms such as Lazada, Shopee and Zalora, in championing consumer protection under the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

The MOU formalizes enhanced collaboration across different industries, together with a general process on limiting the access of counterfeit products in the market, by generating and streamlining takedown notices and procedures against digital sellers who take advantage of consumers and sell fake goods.

NPI is dedicated and looks forward to a dynamic exchange and review of the MOU's implementation to ensure consumer protection in e-commerce marketplaces, as it reassures digital shoppers that its household brands are original and of the highest quality when purchased online.

"Today marks a special day as one of the prominent food and beverage brands in the country, Nestlé Philippines, becomes part of a collective undertaking. Together, we share the goal of ensuring the protection of consumers against counterfeit or fake goods especially in online marketplaces," IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba said. "May this pave the way for better collaboration and the formation of best practices across different industries in ensuring consumer protection."

"Nestlé's long-standing presence in the country has led our brands to become 'Kasambuhays' or trusted companions in the lives of the Filipino families. Our participation in this MOU is not just our commitment in cracking down on counterfeits; it honors the trust that Filipinos place in our brands, that we will always do better, and we are here to uphold our legacy in becoming the country's 'Kasambuhay' for good," said NPI chairman and CEO Kais Marzouki.

The NPI delegation was led by general counsel Atty. Krisma Guyala, who said that Nestlé is fully committed and participating in asserting proactive and preventive measures versus counterfeit products. She commended IPOPHL for its role in forging collaboration between companies and e-commerce platforms for brand protection.

"The engagement of public and private stakeholders in taking proactive steps to resist counterfeiters is truly valuable. Ultimately, we want the consumers to benefit. They deserve only authentic quality products in exchange for their hard-earned money," she said.