AFTER being included in the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Notorious Markets report, the Greenhills Shopping Center is set to improve itself, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said.

According to the IPOPHL, they will work harder and closely cooperate with stakeholders to remove the Greenhills Shopping Center from the USTR list.

Among the initiatives include the overhauling of the shopping center in San Juan City, a kown area for counterfeit goods, such as electronics, perfumes, watches, shoes, accessories and fashion items.

The USTR on January 30, again listed Greenhills in its 2023 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy. 

It stated that it is one of the lone marketplace in the Philippines to make it to the USTR Notorious Markets list.

“IPOPHL continues to work with the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) in fulfilling the work plan Overhaul Greenhills Project (OG Project) to eliminate stores selling counterfeit and other IP-infringing goods in the Greenhills Shopping Center,” IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba said in a statement.

The OG Project eyes to convert Greenhills into a high-end mall with legitimate sellers.

“We will continue to work with rights holders, San Juan local government and the Greenhills management on seizures, issuance of warning letters and updates on the development of the shopping center into a high-end mall,” Barba added.

He said one of the IPOPHL’s priorities is to delist Greenhills from the USTR’s watch list while ensuring markets are clear from selling fake and IP infringing goods.

“IPOPHL urges all sellers to uphold legitimate trade and support the sale of locally-made products to create a safe IP-driven economy where local businesses can flourish,” the IPOPHL chief said.