NBI seizes fake Lacoste goods in Greenhills

By TJ Acgcaoili

AN estimated P11 million worth of counterfeit Lacoste apparel were recently confiscated in simultaneous raids on 20 stalls at Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City.

The raid that yielded more than 3,000 fake Lacoste apparel was implemented by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents.

NBI-National Capital Region (NCR) personnel raided stalls in Greenhills Shopping Center twice since 2005 for selling fake Lacoste goods and other counterfeit items.

The NBI-NCR received information from Bengzon Negre Untalan (BNU) Intellectual Property Attorneys about the persistent sale of counterfeit products in the shopping center.

BNU is Lacoste’s counsel and attorney in fact in the Philippines.

The NBI-NCR conducted further surveillance of several establishments identified to be engaged in selling fake Lacoste products prior to the operation upon receiving information from BNU.

Raids and enforcement actions within Greenhills Shopping Center against establishments selling counterfeit merchandise with well-known brands has become commonplace the past few years. 

To strengthen efforts in curtailing piracy and counterfeit activities, the government, through various offices such as Intellectual Property (IP) Philippines, Department of Trade and Industry, NBI, National Police, Bureau of Customs, Optical Media Board, interior department and justice department, are implementing a five-point strategy in the campaign against intellectual-property rights violations.

IP Philippines aims to take out the Philippines from the United States Trade Representative Special 301 Watch List of IPR violators before 2010.

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NBI seizes fake Lacoste goods in Greenhills

AN estimated P11 million worth of counterfeit Lacoste apparel were recently confiscated in simultaneous raids on 20 stalls at Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City.

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