Greenhills shopping center aims to shed ‘counterfeit haven’ tag

BARGAIN HUNTING The Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City is a popular destination for bargain hunters. The mall’s management says it has discussed with the government a transition plan to end its reputation as a hub for counterfeit and pirated items. —Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — The Greenhills Shopping Center may yet get rid of its tag as a hotbed of counterfeit and pirated items.

This as the management of the popular shopping center met early this month with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and discussed plans to stop the sale of counterfeit items inside its premises by 2027.

The 16-hectare shopping complex in the city of San Juan in Metro Manila, one of the country’s oldest shopping centers, is the lone Philippine entry on the US piracy and counterfeit watch list, joining other markets such as China’s Chenghai District and the Heera Panna in Mumbai, India, that are notorious for selling counterfeit and pirated goods.

READ: Work plan eyed to address Greenhills inclusion in US piracy watch list

Among these fake products are electronics, perfumes, watches, shoes, accessories and fashion items that have long been patronized as they are cheaper than the original branded goods.

The US Trade Representative (USTR) has said that the counterfeit market not only undermines brand owners but also poses health and safety risks to consumers, who may be unaware that they are purchasing a fake product that does not meet quality and safety standards.

The USTR, in its report released early this year on counterfeiting and piracy, said that while there had been moves to enforce the protection of intellectual property, “the targets of enforcement often evade such efforts by moving the location of their stalls.”

READ: NBI seizes P63-M fake Louis Vuitton goods in Greenhills Shopping Center

Educating traders

James Candelaria, the shopping mall’s vice president and trade fairs and exhibits head, told the IPOPHL of plans to wean all of its merchants away from selling products that infringe on intellectual property and are protected by law over the next three years.

“What we have done so far is really to educate our traders along the way, to tell them that it’s time to change and that there are other products to profit from,” Candelaria said during the meeting, as quoted by the IPOPHL on Monday.

The IPOPHL said that some of the mall management’s notable and recent education initiatives include a learning event with the Department of Trade and Industry, which was attended by over 400 merchants.

The event showcased local products that traders could consider selling instead of counterfeit items, said the IPOPHL.

This is in line with the memorandum of understanding earlier signed by the IPOPHL and the Philippine Retailers Association, of which Greenhills is a member, that called for a “zero-tolerance approach” to counterfeit products.

Local products

Aside from the education campaign, the mall management said that it also reduced the number of stalls to 1,412 from 1,771.

As of October 2023, Candelaria said that 80 percent of traders have gone through the transition program and are now selling local products, including halal items, jewelry, antiques, furniture pieces and artwork.

The IPOPHL also said that the shopping center managed by Ortigas Land had already suspended some 299 stores selling counterfeit items.

IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba said the government would help stall owners transition to selling legitimate goods.

According to the IPOPHL’s records, at least P23.03 billion worth of pirated goods nationwide were seized by authorities from January to September 2023, more than a twofold increase in the value of seized goods from the same nine-month period the previous year.