Greenhills Lands on US “Notorious Markets” List Again Over Counterfeit Goods

The United States government has again included a Greenhills Shopping Center, a Philippine shopping mall, in its latest list of markets linked to counterfeit goods.

Why It Matters: The report highlights the continuing global concern over counterfeit products and digital piracy. These activities affect consumers who may unknowingly purchase substandard goods, as well as companies that rely on intellectual property protection.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative released the findings of its 2025 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy. This report tracks online and physical locations that reportedly engage in or facilitate trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.

Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan was named among the physical markets in the report. The mall has long been associated with the sale of counterfeit electronics, perfumes, watches, shoes, accessories, and fashion items.

According to the report, Greenhills remains a large commercial complex with many storefronts selling counterfeit products. Authorities have conducted raids at the mall in coordination with rights holders to address the issue.

Greenhills Shopping Center is a large mall in Manila with many storefronts selling
counterfeit electronics, perfumes, watches, shoes, accessories, and fashion items. 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-strikes rule to take action against counterfeit sellers. The management reports that almost 300 vendor stalls have been removed over the past year for selling counterfeit goods. The government, through the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR), is working with right holders and shopping center management on implementing a transition program to transform Greenhills Shopping Center into a high-end mall with legitimate sellers. NCIPR is also working to establish a pilot location for the NCIPR Help Desk at Greenhills Shopping Center, in coordination with management and the city government. 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 concerns about the volume of counterfeit goods.

Despite these efforts, rights holders cited in the report said they still observe a significant number of counterfeit goods in the mall. Some groups say they are waiting to see if the transition program will lead to lasting changes.

In total, the 2025 list identifies 37 online markets and 32 physical markets worldwide that reportedly engage in or facilitate large-scale counterfeiting and piracy.

The report also examined piracy of live sports broadcasts as a key issue this year, particularly as the United States prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ambassador Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative, said authorities are paying closer attention to counterfeit merchandise and illegal streaming tied to major sporting events. He added that such activities amount to intellectual property theft and can expose consumers to risks such as unsafe products or malware from piracy sites.

The USTR also called on countries to strengthen copyright protections by joining and fully implementing international agreements such as the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Greenhills has also appeared in previous editions of the Notorious Markets List. With the government now pushing a transition program for the mall, the question remains: will these efforts finally address long-standing concerns over counterfeit goods in one of Metro Manila’s most well-known shopping centers?