Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) – The Philippines was one of the top exporters of counterfeit goods, including fakes which posed health and safety risks, in recent years.
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The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) observed this across two studies based on data from 2017 to 2019.
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A 2022 study titled “Dangerous Fakes: Trade In Counterfeit Goods That Pose Health, Safety And Environmental Risks” found that the Philippines ranked 13th globally as a provenance or origin country of dangerous counterfeits from 2017 to 2019.
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In terms of origin countries for dangerous counterfeit food products within the same period, the Philippines ranked a whopping 4th globally; just behind China, Hong Kong, and Turkey.
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The counterfeit food products were primarily found to be candies, frozen fruits, tea, coffee, honey, cooking oil, and fake milk formula for babies.
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The Philippines also ranked 15th among origin countries of dangerous fakes purchased online from the same time period.
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The study’s rankings were quantified based on a country’s share of seized global value for a particular commodity.
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At least 84% of the world’s dangerous fakes come from Asia, primarily from China at 52% of counterfeits, and Hong Kong at 27%. Most of these dangerous products ended up in the United States and the European Union, the study reported.
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Dangerous counterfeits are fakes which pose risks to health, safety, environment, and personal security, the study said.
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Some examples enumerated by the study include pharmaceuticals, food, alcohol, clothing, cosmetics, leather products, contact lenses, toys for children, electronics, vehicle parts, pesticides, and even personal protective equipment against Covid-19.
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Top exporter of counterfeits, pirated goods
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Meanwhile, “Global Trade in Fakes: A Worrying Threat,” a 2021 study by the same institutions determined that the Philippines was 15th among the top 25 origin economies for counterfeit and pirated goods from 2017 to 2019. The Philippines’ ranking was again determined based on its share of seized global value within the time period.
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Atop the list were China, Hong Kong, Turkey, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. “On average 90% of global seizures came from these five countries during this period,” the study reported.
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From 2017 to 2019, the Philippines was ranked 8th overall among origin countries of fake leather articles and handbags.
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Only China at 59%, Hong Kong at 33%, Turkey at 5%, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Dominican Republic, surpassed the Philippines in terms of seized value for leather goods.
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Kuwait was a key transit point for the Philippines in exporting leather goods. The EUIPO reported that all of the fakes coursed through Kuwait ended up in the United States or in Europe.
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Aside from leather goods, the Philippines was tagged for its significant share of seized value and trade flow in the export of fake perfumes, cosmetics, footwear, toys and games, jewelry, and clothing.
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The EUIPO said that the global counterfeit trade was valued at $464 billion or 2.5% of all world trade in 2019.
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“The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated illicit trade, alarming law enforcement in many parts of the world,” EUIPO Executive Director Christian Archambeau said.
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