Consumer group urges tougher crackdown on counterfeit goods sold online

Counterfeit goods remain widely available across Philippine e-commerce platforms despite high reported removal rates, according to consumer group Malayang Konsyumer.

In a letter to Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines Director General Teodoro Pascua, the group called for an immediate and sustained crackdown. Convenor Mark Jansen Magsano said online marketplaces had become a “24/7 open market for dangerous, unregulated imitations.”

Lazada reported proactively removing 85.5% of counterfeit listings between June 2024 and May 2025, while Shopee reported a 93.6% proactive removal rate. The Department of Trade and Industry’s E-Commerce Bureau issued 171 takedown orders and 67 compliance orders from June to December 2025. During the first half of 2026, it issued a further 268 takedown orders and 105 compliance orders.

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The glaring truth could no longer be denied nor glossed over: the digital marketplace has become a 24/7 open market for dangerous, unregulated imitations. Our members experience this regularly when shopping online, encountering pirated or trademark-infringing goods that carry both intellectual property and consumer safety implications.

The scale of seizures remained high. The National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights seized counterfeit goods worth 18.64 billion pesos between June 2024 and May 2025. Malayang Konsyumer said the continued availability of fake products showed that existing action was not enough.

The group highlighted medicines, vitamins, health supplements and beauty products that could contain toxic chemicals. It also cited substandard electronics that could cause fires or electrocution, and adhesives, sealants and building materials linked to structural and inhalation risks. Its proposals include investigations initiated by IPOPHL, more compliance and takedown orders, website blocking with the telecommunications regulator, cancellation of permits for repeat offenders and cease-and-desist orders from IPOPHL’s Bureau of Legal Affairs.

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It is clear that while e-commerce platforms and government agencies have already taken action, these efforts are not enough. The IPOPHL is uniquely positioned to bridge safety gaps by fully deploying its statutory powers under the Intellectual Property Code.