FICCI seeks amendment in Form 27 & patent law to facilitate commercialisation of patented product & ease of doing business
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has urged the patent office to amend Form 27 and update Patent Rules in line with international best practices so as to befit emerging technological fields, make commercialization of patented invention more easier and facilitate ease of doing business.
Form 27 needs to be submitted by patentees under Section 146 (2) of The Patents Act, 1970 providing details of commercial working of a patent in India.
Said Dipankar Barkakati, additional director and head – IPR & FICCI CASCADE at FICCI, “Existing Form 27 requirement has become redundant, burdensome, hampers ease of doing business, makes commercialization of patented invention more difficult and is not aligned to international best practices. There is thus an urgent need to remove Section 146 (working statement requirement from statute book). While, such a change in the law may take some time, meanwhile, may we request patent office to consider updating the Patent Rules and amend ‘Form 27’ befitting the emerging technological fields.”
http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=108375&sid=1
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Uganda loses Sh3bn to illicit cigarette imports
The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) would have netted more than Ush200 billion (about Sh5.46 billion) from the cigarette trade alone but only got Ush74 billion (Sh2 billion) due to a surge in cigarette smuggling last year.
In a media briefing yesterday in Kampala, Mr Vincent Seruma, the URA assistant commissioner public and corporate affairs, said illicit importation of cigarettes occasions serious revenue losses to the exchequer.
“Cigarettes are high value. It enters the country through roguish ways which we are aware of. We have invested significantly in intelligence to break the rackets,” he said.
In the last six months, the URA said it had conducted several interceptions and recovered smuggled goods via the consolidation centre in Kisaasi, a suburb, north east of Kampala.
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Police dismantle tobacco smuggling gang, seize 1.2m cigarettes.
The Portuguese police said they have arrested the leader of a tobacco smuggling gang and seized 1.2 million cigarettes in Porto and Aveiro, both in the north of Portugal.
The leader of the gang has been charged with criminal association and qualified tobacco smuggling.
On Thursday the police seized 130,000 cigarettes and 226 kg of tobacco plus two vehicles. Most of the tobacco has hidden in false compartments in the vehicles that had been specially made to hide the contraband.
The police also said that a total of 10 individuals and two companies had been charged in connection with the smuggling.
Lear MoreTake these steps to stay safe from counterfeit software and fraudulent subscriptions
Software piracy and fraudulent subscriptions are serious, industry-wide problems affecting consumers and organizations around the world.
In 2016, 39 percent of all software installed on computers was not properly licensed, according to asurvey conducted by BSA and The Software Alliance. And each year, tens of thousands of people report to Microsoft that they bought software that they later learned was counterfeit.
What can appear to be a too-good-to-be-true deal for a reputable software program, can in fact be a counterfeit copy or a fraudulent subscription. In many cases, such illegitimate software downloads may also be riddled with malware – including computer viruses, Trojan horses, spyware, or even botware, designed to damage your computer, destroy your data, compromise your security, or steal your identity. And in the world of cloud computing, where many applications are often delivered as a subscription service, consumers could be unwittingly sending payments to cybercriminals, unaware that cybercriminals selling fraudulent subscriptions will not provide needed administrative support.
Curbing the proliferation of software piracy
Cybercriminals are always looking for ways to trick consumers– and the outcome can be costly. According to report released by the Ponemon Institute in 2017, the average cost of cybercrime globally climbed to $11.7M per organization, a staggering 62 percent increase over the last five years. And a recent Juniper Research report, Cybercrime & the Internet of Threats 2017, states that “the estimated cost to the global economy as a result of cybercrime is projected to be $8 trillion by 2022.”
How do cybercriminals deceive consumers? There are many ways. One common technique is to set up a fake website that falsely claims the software subscriptions or copies offered for sale on the site are legitimate. Sophisticated cybercriminals go to great lengths to make their websites look authentic to trick consumers into buying fraudulent subscriptions or counterfeit software.
For decades, through partnerships with industry, governments, and other agencies, Microsoft has been working to fight software counterfeiting and to protect consumers from the dangers posed by this and other types of cybercrime. Today, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU), a unique group of cybercrime-fighting investigators, analysts, and lawyers, works globally to detect and prevent fraud targeting our customers. Our priority is to protect our customers and help create a secure experience for everyone. One of the key ways we do this is to work with law enforcement and other organizations to bring the perpetrators of cybercrime to justice.
Lear MoreCounterfeit Products Trafficking.
Counterfeiting of identification documents, CDs, DVDs, software, medicines, weapons, food products, clothing and cigarettes has grown significantly in recent years, largely due to advances in technology and the ease of movement of these goods around the world. The involvement of organized criminal groups in the production and distribution of counterfeit goods is well documented and they operate across national borders in activities that include the manufacture, export, import and distribution of illicit goods. International, regional and national authorities have uncovered intricate links between this crime and other serious offences, such as the ones dealt with in other sections of this Module.
In June 2010, Italian police arrested 17 Chinese nationals and seven Italian nationals in an investigation into various criminal activities, including money laundering, tax evasion, human trafficking, and the distribution of counterfeit goods. The counterfeit goods were primarily designer clothes produced by Chinese criminal groups in Tuscany. That investigation led to the seizure of 780,000 counterfeit items. (UNODC, 2013).
The making of false legal documents or altering of existing documents is forgery. Forgery is a generic term and it technically encompasses counterfeiting. Nonetheless, these terms are often used interchangeably to describe faked or false documents or products of any kind, and their usage varies internationally. Counterfeiting originally referred specifically to the falsifying of currency, but its usage has expanded to all types of forgeries, which involve manufacturing or trading of a document or product without the permission of the lawful owner of the patent, trademark, copyright, or license.
Corruption and bribery are inherently linked to the illicit trafficking of counterfeit goods, especially when these are shipped internationally. Trafficking in counterfeit goods also offers criminals a complementary source of income and a tool to launder proceeds derived from various crimes. In a similar fashion, proceeds from other crimes have been used by organized criminal groups to finance their counterfeiting businesses. (UNICRI / ICC BASCAP, 2013)
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Quantum cascade lasers ‘can detect falsified drugs’.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have developed a miniaturised quantum cascade laser (QCL) device that could provide a new, no-contact way of rapidly distinguishing falsified from genuine medicines.
The matchbox-sized unit has already showed its security potential in the rapid detection of explosive or toxic substances – at a distance of several metres – and Fraunhofer is in the process of seeking out industry partners to develop that commercial application. At the same time, it is assessing QCL for pharmaceutical applications, including not only detection of counterfeits but also monitoring the quality of medicines during manufacturing.
The semiconductor-based infrared laser technology comes from a tie-up between Fraunhofer’s Dresden-based Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS – which has been working on the detector component of the device – and its Institute for Applied Solid State Physics which developed the tunable laser chips.
Lear MoreRevealed: Big challenge faced by Indian industry
Chennai: “The illicit market for fake and smuggled products is one of the biggest challenges faced by Indian industry,” ADGP, Crime Branch CID, Tamilnadu, K Jayanth Murali stated at a seminar on Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative to Accelerate Economic Development organised by FICCI CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) on Tuesday.
The seminar discussed the importance of increased awareness on the hazards of counterfeiting and smuggling, and the need for effective enforcement to enhance India’s economic development.
Jayanth Murali said, “The illicit market for fake and smuggled products is one of the biggest challenges faced by Indian industry. In India, the issue of fake currency is also a serious problem as it is lucrative, offering higher returns. India has porous borders with countries like Nepal and Bangladesh which gives smugglers good opportunity to smuggle products into India. China is also posing a serious threat to India on this issue.”
https://www.newstodaynet.com/index.php/2018/03/28/revealed-big-challenge-faced-by-indian-industry/
Lear MoreFICCI raises awareness on smuggled and counterfeit goods by organizing seminars nationally
Delhi: FICCI CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) an industry body working on addressing the issue smuggled and counterfeit goods in the country is organzing large-scale awareness programmes nationally involving the government and other agencies to fight the menace of illicit trade. As part of the awareness campaign, it has lined up a slew of activities, including seminars, youth and consumer sensitization programs, capacity building of enforcement officials in different states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir etc. Today, FICCI CASCADE organized a seminar on ‘Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative to Accelerate Economic Development’ with representation from enforcement agencies and policy makers of Tamil Nadu Government.
FICCI also highlighted incidents of increasing number of seizures especially for products lie Gold, Cigarettes, Machinery Parts, Fabric/Silk Yarn and Electronic Items that has witnessed the highest number of DRI seizures in the past few years. The number of incidents of smuggling of cigarettes & tobacco products in India has increased by 136%* from 1312 cases in 2014-15 to 3108 cases in 2016-17.
Lear MoreFICCI meet highlights menace of counterfeit products
The menace posed by counterfeit products such as auto parts and packaged foods was highlighted at a seminar on combating duplicates of popular brands held here today.
Speakers at the event discussed various aspects of the counterfeit problem, including the government incurring losses running into thousands of crores, apart from health hazards.
The meet – ‘Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling An Imperative to Accelerate Economic Development’ was organised by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE).
Advisor, FICCI, CASCADE, P C Jha said the estimated loss to the industry in sectors including alcoholic beverages, auto components, computer hardware, FMCG packaged foods and FMCG personal goods, mobile phones and tobacco had increased by Rs 32,412 crore between 2011-’12 to 2013-’14.
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CBP seizes more than $1 million of counterfeit speakers at International Falls port
More than $1 million of counterfeit home theater speaker systems in a rail car headed for Ranier were seized in February by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
CBP Office of Field Operations officers working at the International Falls Port of Entry targeted a rail container destined to arrive in Ranier. In February, CBP officers inspected the rail container and discovered merchandise in violation of intellectual property rights regulations.
The merchandise consisted of 480 home theater speaker systems. Examination of the speaker systems revealed counterfeit markings. The counterfeit merchandise has an aggregate manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1.38 million.
“Counterfeiting adversely affects lawful rights holders of their original ideas and the ability to make a profit from them,” Anthony Jackson, International Falls port director, said in a news release. “Counterfeiting also harms consumers because manufacturers of forged products have little motivation to use safe, high-quality materials in their products.”
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