Greenhills kept on U.S. notorious counterfeit markets list

Greenhills Shopping Center has again been named in the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s 2025 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy, keeping the San Juan complex on an international watch list of markets linked to fake and pirated goods. The report, released on 03 March 2026, lists 37 online markets and 32 physical markets worldwide.

Greenhills was the only physical market in the Philippines cited in the latest report. In its entry on the shopping complex, the USTR said Greenhills remains “a large mall in Manila” with many storefronts selling counterfeit electronics, perfumes, watches, shoes, accessories, and fashion items.

The USTR acknowledged recent enforcement steps at the mall. It said law enforcement agencies, working with rights holders, had conducted raids at Greenhills, while management applied a three-strikes rule against counterfeit sellers. The report added that almost 300 vendor stalls had been removed over the past year for selling counterfeit goods.

The report also noted that the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights is working with rights holders and mall management on a transition program meant to turn Greenhills into a higher-end retail center with legitimate sellers. A pilot NCIPR Help Desk is also being set up at the shopping center in coordination with management and the city government.

But the USTR said rights holders still see a significant volume of counterfeit goods in the complex and are waiting to see whether the transition program will make a lasting difference. Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), which serves as NCIPR vice chair, said the government’s goal is not only to get Greenhills off foreign watch lists, but to turn it into a legitimate retail hub known for quality and trust.

Greenhills’ inclusion is not new. Official IPOPHL statements in 2023 and 2024 also identified the shopping center as the lone Philippine physical market flagged in earlier editions of the USTR review, showing that the issue has persisted despite repeated enforcement efforts.

The USTR said the Notorious Markets List is meant to raise public awareness and push market operators and governments to strengthen intellectual property enforcement. It does not by itself impose penalties or serve as a legal finding of violation.