DataDot Technology partners with Vietnam to foil counterfeiters
(ASX:DDT) should trade higher after the appointment of the Vietnam Institute of Anti-Counterfeiting Technology as agent for DataDot DNA and DataTraceDNA products in Vietnam. The Vietnam Institute of Anti-Counterfeiting Technology is the scientific and technological research arm of the Association of Anti-Counterfeiting and Brand Protection Vietnam.
The Association, with 180 business enterprises, is policy adviser to the Government for the prevention and detection of counterfeiting and piracy.
It operates in collaboration with the Institute of Criminal Science and law enforcement agencies.
Beware the Fairtrade fraudsters: Shoppers warned to watch out for produce with fake labels as criminals attempt to cash in on premiums on ‘ethical’ goods
Middle class shoppers are being targeted by fraudsters selling fake organic and Fairtrade goods, according to new research.
The numbers of people willing to pay a premium price for what they believe is an ‘ethical’ product has soared in recent years.
Now a new report has found that criminal gangs are able to make ‘enormous profits’ by targeting well-meaning shoppers who are happy to pay more to ensure that the people producing their goods are not exploited.
Smuggling threatening economy
WITH Zambia actively exploring opportunities to diversify the economy, focus is shifting from the mining sector to alternative industries that will contribute to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country.
Agriculture has long been tipped as a significant catalyst for Zambia’s economic growth, given the land and water resources that are abundant across the country.
Within agriculture, the tobacco industry stands out as one of the most promising in the country’s economic growth.
https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=28430
Lear MoreConstraints of being small in a huge market
It’s no secret that when it comes to manufacturing technical gadgets, China holds a prominent place. Yet among tech firms in China, competition is stiff and there are many challenges that one must address in order to find success.
Going by the experiences of Shenzhen-based Hali-Power, a company that’s been manufacturing electronics products since 1984, there are four main challenges that small tech firms in China must address on their path to success. Hali-Power, most popularly known for its MiLi brand of hardware, is an example of a company that pushed its way to success, making everything from battery packs to smartphone projectors. As Hali-Power sees it, being small – even with its disadvantages – offers more flexibility and better avenues for true innovation
Lear MoreBlack market tobacco now 14.5 per cent of all consumption, Illicit Tobacco in Australia report shows
THE BILLION dollar illicit tobacco black market has hit a record high as Australian smokers baulk at the price of legal cigarettes. Criminals are exploiting the high price of legal smokes to make massive profits by smuggling in cheap tobacco from overseas. Last year 14.5 per cent of all tobacco consumed was illegal, according to a new report.
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Guard helps 4 men smuggle cigarettes
Dubai Public Prosecution has referred five Asian men to Dubai Criminal Court on charges of forging Dubai Customs documents and smuggling out cigarette shipments, reported ‘Al Bayan’.
Then men allegedly forged exit permits to smuggle shipments of cigarettes out of Jebel Ali Port in order to avoid paying customs duty of about half-a-million dirhams, the reported added.
One of the suspects is a guard at the port who helped the others take the shipment out without authorised documents in return for Dh4,000.
http://www.emirates247.com/crime/local/guard-helps-4-men-smuggle-cigarettes-2015-05-05-1.589678
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Buyer Beware: Real Rubies Or Fake Gems?
Second only to diamonds in the hierarchy of precious gems, rubies are the most valued of all the colored stones.
Mary Kay Elloian was thrilled to find a pair deeply discounted at just $100.
“I was buying ruby, a pair of ruby earrings. That’s what I requested and that’s what I was buying,” Mary Kay said.
At least that’s what she says the salesperson at Macy’s in the Northeast told her she was buying, but when she got the earrings home, she noticed a partially-covered sticker with fine print.
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2015/05/05/buyer-beware-real-rubies-or-fake-gems/
Lear MoreFive accused of smugging cigarettes worth Dh500,000
Five men have been accused of involvement in a case of smuggling 250,000 packs of cigarettes worth Dh500,000 into the local market to evade customs fees. A Sri Lankan businessman, M.M., and a Pakistani driver, A.K., were said to have offered Dh4,000 in bribe to an Indian security guard, C.E., to allow them to drive truck carrying the consignment from Jebel Ali Port into the local market.
Prosecutors charged M.M. and A.K. with bribing a public servant [C.E.] and evading customs fees by smuggling the 500 cartons of cigarettes into the local market [without paying Dh500,000, the required custom fees] in an illegal manner in 2010.
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/courts/five-accused-of-smugging-cigarettes-worth-dh500-000-1.1504583
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$2-per-pack tobacco tax could land on California ballot
A coalition of health and labor groups on Monday submitted a pair of initiatives for the 2016 ballot to raise the state’s tobacco tax by $2 a pack, perhaps an acknowledgment that a similar effort moving through the Legislature will ultimately be scuttled. Save Lives California, including the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, California Medical Association and SEIU California, filed two measures with the Attorney General’s Office for titles and summaries. Backers will likely decide later which one to take to the streets for signatures and a place on the ballot. One measure allows state tax officials to impose an equivalent tax on electronic cigarettes.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article20223633.html
Lear MoreOPA Lives On For The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition
Last week the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) held their spring conference in San Diego, to share intelligence about the latest strategies for combatting “counterfeiting” (by which they mean trademark infringement) and “piracy” (by which they mean copyright infringement). EFF’s Jeremy Malcolm attended as an invited panelist, giving us the opportunity to assert our views that anti-piracy campaigns should not infringe users’ rights or damage the fabric of the global Internet. But perhaps more importantly, it also also afforded us a window into the mindset of the content and brand owners, law enforcement officials and lawyers behind these campaigns.
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