Greenhills mall remains on US ‘counterfeit markets’ list

THE Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City remained listed as a “notorious market for counterfeit goods,” according to the 2024 report issued by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR).

“Greenhills Shopping Center remains popular on social media as a destination for purchasing counterfeit goods, and rights holders report high volumes of counterfeit goods in secret showrooms,” according to the USTR 2024 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy published on Jan. 8.

It noted an ongoing transition program of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines to transform the shopping center into a high-end mall with legitimate sellers.  

“This program includes efforts at rezoning the mall and shifting sellers to local products through incentives and premium locations in the mall,” it said.

“Rights holders continue to wait and see if the transition program will result in addressing the volume of counterfeit goods,” it added.

The report identified the shopping center as a large mall with many storefronts selling electronics, perfumes, watches, shoes, accessories, and fashion items.

“Law enforcement authorities, in collaboration with rights holders, have conducted raids at the mall, and the management at Greenhills Shopping Center has applied a three-strikes rule to take action against counterfeit sellers,” it said.

Also cited was the e-commerce platform Shopee.

According to the USTR, the availability of counterfeit goods on Shopee varies widely from country to country, with the Taiwan platform identified as a positive example.

However, it noted serious concerns “with the amount of counterfeit goods on Shopee’s platforms in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and across Latin America.”

The 2024 Notorious Markets List identified 38 online markets and 33 physical markets that are reported to facilitate substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright policy. — Justine Irish D. Tabile