Raids Crack Down on Zig-Zag Counterfeiting
In June, on behalf of North Atlantic Operating Co. Inc. and National Tobacco Co. LP, Cantor Colburn attorney Thomas Mango and paralegal Corine Wilkinson participated in two early morning raids led by U.S. marshals to seize counterfeit Zig-Zag cigarette paper products and business records at a commercial business and a residence in Plainfield and Moosup, Conn. Each raid team consisted of two U.S. marshals, several investigators, several data and forensic specialists and an attorney/paralegal team from Venable executing seizure orders from the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut on a number of merchants and individuals found to be selling counterfeit Zig-Zag cigarette paper products.
http://www.cspnet.com/category-news/tobacco/articles/update-raids-crack-down-zig-zag-counterfeiting
Lear MoreCounterfeiting – Damages, Responsibilities And Solutions
Diesel recently announced that they have won a lawsuit against Cosmos World after a battle of 16 years spent fighting against the Spanish company that manufactured and sold counterfeited Diesel products in European and in Southern American countries. The business of counterfeiting appears like a huge iceberg whose size is hard to imagine because final responsibilities are hidden and hard to punish. Especially during the summer season, for instance on Italian beaches, one might be persuaded into buying counterfeited products from non-European peddlers running back and forth carrying loads of merchandise under the sun. Some “bestsellers” may include Stella McCartney bags sold at €170, fake Louis Vuitton items at €80, Hogan bags at €40, Moncler jackets for €60 and Napapjjri sweatshirts for €15. Anyone might think that, while helping someone in difficulty, he or she could get a good bargain for a “branded” product. Despite this, the consumer is not always aware that the product is not genuine or produced employing the brand name dishonestly and in some cases manufactured with materials and under conditions that can even damage one’s health. And it is very likely that the person selling those products is also seriously exploited by dishonest people and organizations – as the whole business behind counterfeiting.
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Banning e-cigarettes will lead to smuggling, warns consumer group
The majority of e-cigarette users, or vapers, would seek to buy their devices and liquids from other countries if their sales were banned in Malaysia, a survey revealed. Seeking less harmful alternatives to conventional cigarettes, the vapers were also calling for the devices to be regulated properly and be more widely available. In a first-of-its-kind survey of adult smokers in Malaysia, regional consumer advocacy group factasia.org has found that most smokers, or 83%, see e-cigarettes as a “positive alternative” to tobacco products. The advocacy group’s co-founder, Heneage Mitchell, said the survey was to gauge consumers’ views on vaping products.
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Foreign Tobacco Producers to identify counterfeit cigarettes
Head of Zakarpattia regional state administration Hennadiy Moskal has asked Ukrainian and foreign tobacco producers to join the battle against cigarette smuggling on the western border of Ukraine
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Seizures of smuggled cigarettes
Illegal cigarettes comprise the largest share of the seized smuggled goods. Over 160 million pieces of them, estimated at EUR 19 million euro, were confiscated. This is three times more than during the same period of the previous year: 60 million pieces of cigarettes worth over EUR 6 million euro were detained at that time, Lithuanian Customs report. The data of the State Tax Inspectorate also confirms the reduction of the illegal tobacco market share in Lithuania: in the first half of 2015, cigarette sales in the legal market increased by 7%. Unlike the last few years, when the largest quantities of tobacco products were detained on the Lithuanian – Belarusian border, the Lithuanian customs officers increasingly often detain this year illegal Belarus tobacco products brought from Latvia. According to the Deputy Director General of the Customs Department Vygantas Paigozinas, such change of smuggling routes took place upon strengthening the control on the European Union external border.
http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/transport/?doc=108948
Lear MoreCounterfeiting: The Rising Threat to Electronics Manufacturers (and Enterprise Labeling as the First Line of Defense)
As a serious challenge to today’s global electronics supply chain, counterfeiting and gray market diversion of electronics components threaten the integrity of products for manufacturers. Counterfeits and obsolete electronics components contribute to dangerous business exposure for manufacturer’s customers, and compromise health and safety for consumers. Clearly, new solutions are needed to improve electronics supply chain integrity and stability. Although unit item serialization is one of the most powerful anti-counterfeiting and anti-diversion measures available today, many manufacturers lack standardized, automated, enterprise-wide labeling solutions as a foundation upon which serialization can be implemented efficiently and cost effectively. This is because many large electronics organizations, their suppliers, and their distributors still rely on a mish mash of 3rd party and homegrown barcode labeling systems. Serialization technology cannot be applied consistently or affordably throughout a non-standardized labeling environment. However, Enterprise Labeling Solutions can provide the first line of defense in today’s complex high technology electronics distribution environment.
Lear MoreAuthorities fear illicit tobacco trade is moving from Gloucester shops to ‘tab houses’ on estates
Fears have been raised that the war on illicit tobacco could soon take a sinister new twist after £20,000-worth of the stuff was found in a home in the Forest of Dean. The surprise discovery in Coleford means the trade could be moving from corner shops to “tab houses” in residential areas. Until now, most of the illegal tobacco in the region has been sold under the counter at city centre shops. But in some areas of the north cigarettes sold from private homes at pocket money prices have been blamed for creating a new generation of young smokers.
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Counterfeit of Luxury goods
THE grand golden doors of 500 Pearl Street, in Manhattan, have welcomed such glamorous names as Hermès, Tiffany & Co and Kering, a French conglomerate whose treasures include Gucci and Bottega Veneta. The building is not a posh hotel or department store. It is the federal court for the Southern District of New York, a favoured battleground for the decidedly unglamorous war against counterfeit goods. The court is now the venue for Kering’s suit against Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce giant. Kering alleges that Alibaba helps fakers sell goods on its websites. The French firm is not the only one to be incensed. On July 17th the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) demanded that Alibaba crack down on counterfeits. Alibaba insists it has extensive measures in place to do just that. It is trying to distance itself from counterfeiters, who are also accused by Kering. On August 6th Alibaba plans to argue to the court that it risks being unfairly implicated as a co-conspirator. A bitter trial looks likely.
Lear MoreNGOs acting at behest of foreign firms: ITC chief
As its core tobacco business faces pressure, ITC chief Y C Deveshwar on Friday accused some ‘NGOs’ of acting as agents of foreign firms and helping them smuggle international cigarette brands ‘duty-free’ while steep taxes are hurting the domestic industry. Addressing diversified group’s annual general meeting here today, ITC’s Chairman Y C Deveshwar said if cigarettes were harmful, then why the product was being sold in airport duty-free shops. “Unprecedented pressure on the legal cigarette industry with imposition of steep taxes has led to consumption being diverted to tax-evaded as well as smuggled products,” he said. Kolkata-headquartered company’s revenue from cigarettes dropped by 1.22 per cent to Rs 4,149.61 crore in the first quarter ended June 30, as against Rs 4,201.06 crore year-ago.
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PIL on fake water bottles, medicines
The petition by Satish Chandra, filed through advocate Abhiuday Chandra, has contended that the “Central Pollution Control Board has found that the tap water in Delhi contains carcinogenic substances and the toxic quotient is five times higher than the WHO standards.” Concerned over risk to public health due to “pervasive menace” of fake water bottles and medicines, the Delhi High Court on Friday sought the Centre’s response on a PIL seeking implementation of anti-counterfeit measures like hologram seals and ISI marks.A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath issued notice to the ministries of Health and Consumer Affairs seeking their replies within four weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on September 16.
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