Gray list of obstacles has IP as key — DoJ

According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), the efforts of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) to combat counterfeiting and piracy would be crucial to removing the country from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list before 2025, with the help of the efforts of the National Council for Anti-Money Laundering.

“We are confident that when the FATF grey list is implemented in October, the Philippines may already be off the grey list due to our performance in several areas, including intellectual property (IP) protection,” said Jesse Hermogenes Andres, Undersecretary of Justice, during the recent NCIPR 2024 High-Level Meeting.

Nathaniel Arevalo, deputy director general of the Philippine Intellectual Property Office, echoed the positive outlook, but noted that counterfeiting and piracy have been linked to the financing of organized crime groups.

“Trafficking in illicit goods is a transnational crime often run by complex criminal networks. Failure to deter illicit goods such as those that infringe intellectual property rights from entering the market further encourages these criminal groups to expand their operations and harm more people and brands,” Arevalo said.

$500 billion in syndicate crimes

According to the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, organised crime accounts for as much as 2.5 percent, or almost $500 billion, of global trade.

According to Arevalo, NCIPR’s record seizure this year is “a sign of the tireless efforts of its 15 members to disrupt illicit trade in the country and protect consumers and intellectual property rights holders.”

In the first nine months of the year, the NCIPR seized 35.24 billion pesos worth of counterfeit products, a record amount that surpassed the 26.89 billion pesos seized last year.

“IPOPHL is committed to strengthening efforts at the NCIPR, deepening our collaboration internally and with external members, and enhancing the country’s reputation with the FATF and in the global context as a facilitator of creativity, innovation and legitimate business,” Arevalo said.

The Grey List is a list of countries that actively cooperate with the FATF to improve their effectiveness in combating and preventing money laundering and terrorist financing.

As of October 2023, there were 23 countries on the list, including the Philippines.

The DoJ led the Financial Intelligence, Law Enforcement, and Prosecution Sub-Committee (FILEPSC) with IPOPHL as a member.

The FILEPSC is a subcommittee of the National Coordination Committee for the Fight against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, the body that oversees the implementation of the National Strategy for the Fight against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, approved in 2018.