NCIPR to establish HQ in Greenhills to avert counterfeit proliferation

In a bid to eradicate the sale of counterfeit apparel in Greenhills Shopping Center, the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) said it will establish a headquarters within the popular marketplace as part of efforts to have it delisted from the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) list of notorious markets.

“The management of Greenhills is very cooperative. In fact, they will give the NCIPR a space for us to have a presence there. The space is ready, and we are just waiting for the signature of our principals. What is important here is that it’s not only a whole-of-government approach, but a whole-of-society approach. Because that’s what we want to happen,” Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Acting Director General Nathaniel Arevalo said in an interview with reporters Tuesday night in Makati City.

“Without the support of our private sector, our fight will be longer. We are exerting efforts so that early next year, it will be operational,” he added.

Greenhills Shopping Center was included last year in the USTR’s Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy Review, a designation that highlights areas with significant intellectual property violations.

“What we want to happen is Greenhills will be delisted,” Arevalo said.

The NCIPR is an inter-agency body tasked with formulating and implementing policies to strengthen the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the Philippines. It is composed of 15 member-agencies, chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), with IPOPHL serving as vice chair and secretariat.

P18.6B in counterfeit seizures

Meanwhile, Arevalo said the NCIPR logged P18.6 billion worth of counterfeit seizures from January to September this year.

This figure is lower than the P35.2 billion worth of counterfeit goods seized in the third quarter of 2024, he said, noting that apparel—including clothes, bags and shoes—remains the most commonly counterfeited items.

Arevalo clarified that NCIPR operations are complaint-driven and cannot be conducted without participation from intellectual property owners.

“So, if there are no complaints, there will be no operations. This is unlike other agencies like DTI. We cannot do a motu proprio because when it comes to intellectual property, this is still a private offense. Meaning, if there are no complaints or if there is no participation of the IP owner, we can’t just storm a particular store selling fake products,” he said.

“Because one element of infringement is if there is no consent of the IP owner. How can we prove that there is infringement if there is no consent or participation of the IP owner?” he added.