Industry Welcomes EU-US Counterfeiting Initiative

by Ulrika Lomas, for LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

26 June 2006

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), European and US industries welcomed the launch last week of a new joint EU and US strategy aimed at fighting the soaring global trade in counterfeit and pirate goods.

The initiative was launched by US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and EU Industry Commissioner Gunter Verheugen, and endorsed by US President George W. Bush and Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso at the EU-US Summit in Vienna.

The IFPI announced following the programme's launch that:

"Industries from many sectors stressed the enormity of the counterfeiting and piracy problem, estimated to be worth 360 billion euros a year. This illegal activity is endangering consumer safety, eroding the competitiveness of business and undermining the livelihood of everyone working in innovative and creative industries."

"Today's announcement of a joint EU-US strategy and task force to combat counterfeiting and piracy is an urgently needed sign of political determination to tackle this drain on the global economy. The 'EU-US Action Strategy for the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights' will provide a structure in which the two administrations can identify and act on specific common projects with the support and involvement of industry."

"Global business particularly welcomes the joint action plan's focus on priority countries China and Russia. Industry is committed to contribute to the success of this joint enforcement plan by providing expertise as well as sharing information and best practice."

"Industries on both sides of the Atlantic have long called for closer cooperation between Brussels and Washington on this critical issue for global business and now look to both administrations to deliver concrete results."

Among the requests put forward by the industry group to be dealt with under the auspices of the new strategy were to:

• Identify and act on clearly defined common programmes to tackle counterfeiting and piracy in China and Russia leading to measurable achievements and results by 2007, with industry to be consulted throughout the process;
• Promote new transatlantic forms of public-private partnerships to tackle piracy and counterfeiting, involving all enforcement agencies and all industry players, including retailers;
• Raise public awareness of the health and safety risks posed by counterfeited and pirate products which also undermine consumer confidence in branded products; and
• Strengthen legislation enabling the efficient enforcement on intellectual property rights.

The programme was conceived in 2005, and is the first EU-US joint enforcement programme of its kind.

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