Most faked brands in PH: Louis Vuitton, Lee, Jansport, medicines

MANILA, Philippines – Louis Vuitton is the most counterfeited brand in the Philippines.

Goods with the famous Monogram Canvas associated with exclusivity, wealth and status, and frequently seen adorning the hottest celebrities, topped the faked brands seized by authorities in various establishments nationwide in the past 8 months. 

There were 5,680 Louis Vuitton items worth P149.94 million confiscated in raids conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) from January to August, according to data obtained from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).

Seized Louis Vuitton items accounted for over 37% of the total P401.28 million-worth faked goods seized during the period. 

In May alone, authorities confiscated some 2,016 Louis Vuitton items worth P79.77 million, making May the month when the NBI and PNP seized the biggest amount of faked goods. Total for the month was P80.09 million.

In an interview with Rappler, IPO Director General Ricardo Blancaflor said awareness about piracy was not the issue. 

“We tried to find out the consciousness level of Pinoys on piracy. It turns out that 54% of Filipinos are aware of piracy, very high level of awareness,” he explained.

“They said, ‘We know its fake, we know its cheap but we can’t afford to pay for the real thing’,” Blancaflor shared, citing the most common reason given in that survey.

Big brands faked

Besides LV, the most faked brands seized in these operations include Lee products and Jansport bags.

The authorities seized around 6,868 Lee products and 4,832 Jansport bags worth at least P9.8 million and P5.8 million, respectively, during the 8-month period.

Other major international brands were not spared. Among the P139.77 million-worth items seized were:

• 8,765 faked Fitflop items
• 1,525 Northface items
• 1,305 fake Lacoste items
• 385 Chanel items
• 364 Burberry items
• some 163 fake Cartier items

Apart from May, the months when authorities seized the highest worth of fake goods were in July (P60.73 million) and August (P52.62 million).

Even medicines

Blancaflor stressed that luxury fashion items were not the only faked goods being sold in the country. Even medicines were not spared.   

Topping the most faked branded medicines are those made by Unilab, Pfizer, Astra Zenica, Servier, Vicodin, and Rowa.

During the period, at least 298,788 pieces worth P4.51 million of these medicines were confiscated by authorities.

Based on dates of the raids, these fake medicines consist of:

• 160,000 pieces of Astra Zenica, Servier (cardio pharma), and Pfizer products worth P1.8 million confiscated in March 2012
• 25 boxes of Unilab products worth P1.23 million confiscated in March 2012
• 19 pieces of Vicodin medicine (painreliever) worth P40,000 confiscated in March 2012
• 138,000 pieces of assorted Unilab pharmaceutical products worth P1.01 million confiscated in April 2012
• 3 pieces of the immunosupressant Prograf worth P72,000 confiscated in May and June 2012
• undisclosed number of Astra Zenica, Servier (cardio pharma), and Pfizer products worth P300,000 confiscated in May 2012
• 480 Pfizer products worth P48,000 confiscated in June 2012
• 286 Rowa Pharmaceutical Products (makers of medications for anal irritations, gall stones, and renal stones, among others) worth P7,000 — confiscated in July 2012

 – Rappler.com