Counterfeit 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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Officials: $5M in counterfeit cellphone parts, $1.1M in cash seized.
Authorities seized about $5 million in counterfeit cellphone components and accessories, along with $1.1 million in cash, from two Wantagh men who used them to repair cellphones that they sold as new, Nassau County officials said Thursday.
The arrests of Gurcharan Luthra, 37, and Sumesh Pasricha, 48, on Monday followed a four-month investigation into the duo, who authorities say received shipments from China and sold the goods on the internet, a store called AMS World in Wantagh and their shared residence on Poulson Street.
Representatives from Nassau police, the Nassau County Distric Attorney’s office, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized a multitude of the products, which were spread out across three long tables during the Thursday news conference in Levittown.
Luthra and Pasricha were arraigned Wednesday in First District Court in Hempstead. Luthra is charged with two counts of counterfeiting second-degree, and Pasricha is charged with counterfeiting second-degree and conspiracy fifth-degree.
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/counterfeit-good-homeland-security-1.17738046
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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 MoreSmuggled goods spike industry losses by 44%.
NEW DELHI: The market for contraband and smuggled goods is thriving in India and is one of the biggest challenges faced by Indian industry. As per FICCI CASCADE report, total loss to the government on account of illicit markets in just seven manufacturing sectors was Rs 39,239 crore in 2014.
The maximum revenue loss to the exchequer on account of counterfeiting and illicit trade is attributed to tobacco products, estimating a revenue loss of Rs 9,139 crore followed by mobile phones at Rs 6,705 crore and alcoholic beverages at Rs 6,309 crore.
The estimated loss to the industry in just seven industry sectors is Rs 1,05,381 crore, an increase of 44.4% between 2011-12 to 2013-14.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/business/smuggled-goods-spike-industry-losses-by-44/564555.html
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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Incidents of cigarettes, tobacco smuggling jump 136% in 2 yrs: FICCI
Incidents of cigarettes and tobacco products smuggling in India increased by 136 per cent in 2016-17 from 2014-15, according to a report by FICCI CASCADE.
The number of incidents of smuggling of cigarettes and tobacco products increased to to 3,108 cases in 2016-17 from 1,312 cases in 2014-15, it added.
FICCI CASCADE, an industry body working on addressing the issue of illicit trade activities in India, also said that while there is an increase in vigilance by enforcement agencies, seizures were only the tip of the iceberg of a much larger and threatening operation in illegal trade in the country.
Maximum revenue loss to the exchequer came from illicit trade of tobacco products, mobile phones, alcoholic beverages, it said. The report said the total loss to the government on account of illicit trade in just seven manufacturing sectors was Rs 392.39 billion in 2014.
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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.”
Lear MoreFICCI 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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