Greenhills still part of US list of 'notorious' markets for counterfeiting

The United States has retained the Greenhills Shopping Center in its list of "notorious" markets for counterfeiting and piracy.

The US Trade Representative released a report on its findings on March 3, which highlights online and physical markets that reportedly engage in trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.

The list noted that Greenhills had storefronts that sold counterfeit electronics, perfumes, watches, shoes, accessories, and more.

"Law enforcement authorities, in collaboration with right holders, have conducted raids at the mall, and the management at Greenhills Shopping Center has applied a three-strike rule to take action against counterfeit sellers," the report read.

It also said that nearly 300 vendor stalls have been removed over the past year for selling fake goods.

"Although right holders have welcomed these developments, they also continue to observe a significant number of counterfeit goods and continue to wait and see if the transition program will resolve their concenrs about the volume of counterfeit goods."

The National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights has been clearing counterfeit sales in Greenhills and transitioning the mall into a high-end shopping center with legitimate goods through its "Overhaul GSC or OG project."

Greenhills first appeared in the report in 2008 and was part of it again in the past three years. 

Apart from the Philippines, physical markets named in the list include five markets in China, Mangga Dua Market in Jakarta, Indonesia, three centers in Mexico, the MBK Center in Bangkok, Thailand, among others.