Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) and Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Creates Pact to Combat Pirated Goods

The Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) collaborate in a joint effort to stop the prevalence and selling of counterfeit or pirated goods. In a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by both parties last March 30, 2022, the initiative does not only target to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods but also protects Filipino consumers as well as members of the PRA. Paul A. Santos, PRA’s Chairman hopes that the MOU successfully instills a safe retail environment for Filipino consumers, along with promoting fair trade practices.

The collaboration between PRA and IPOPHL plans to fight against counterfeit goods by implementing a code of practice in commercial establishments in the Philippines. IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba particularly mentions a popular shopping establishment in San Juan, saying, “We hope with this partnership with PRA, we will be able to clean Greenhills from IP rights violations and further boost the image and legacy of the Philippines as a country that respects and values IP rights.”

The National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights, under IPOPHL, recently seized various suspected pirated and counterfeit goods worth around P63 million just this month, including around 700 pieces of counterfeit Louis Vuitton products. Greenhills Shopping Center is also the only market in the Philippines listed in the United States Trade Representative (USTR)’s Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy.

This joint effort between PRA and IPOPHL is not the first, as the two parties have previously collaborated on an initiative called Juan for the World Trademark Incentive Programs geared towards helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) protect their trademark and establish their global competitiveness.

Source: BusinessMirror