SUPPLY gap for key personal protection products – from masks to medicines – may see the rise of counterfeit counterparts in the market, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
Rowel Barba, IPOPHL director-general, said in a statement counterfeiters will likely ride on the wave of the public’s spending behavior , citing as example the Office’s receipt of a report on the sale of alleged counterfeit N95 respirators at the height of the Taal Volcano eruption in January which pushed the supply of N95 masks to its limits.
“The gaping hole between supply and demand all over the world is also an easy entry point for counterfeiters,” Barba said in a statement.
Mask maker 3M Co. filed last week its first COVID-related lawsuit for alleged trademark infringement in New York but its Philippine arm has earlier filed a complaint in IPOPHL of alleged counterfeit N95 masks following the Taal Volcano eruption.
Besides masks and other personal protection gears, the 12-member National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) which the IPOPHL vice chairs has also flagged pharmaceuticals, hygiene products, food, and beverages as the top categories likely to attract significant counterfeiting activities due to the surge of demand for these products.
Illegal streaming surges at the outset of quarantine
Barba also said the NCIPR has noted a rise in illegal streaming at the onset of the quarantine.
IPOPHL said counterfeiting and piracy complaints for March alone stood at 21, already surpassing the 14 complaints received for the entire 2019.
Of the March 2020 reports, four or 19 percent involved piracy, specifically illegal streaming and illegal downloading of movies, making for the first piracy complaints of the year. All have been reported to rights holders and platforms, three have been taken down while two are pending for resolution.
Barba said Facebook was the top platform pervaded by pirates.