29,000 copies of Xbox
games seized in Abu Dhabihirdyman.co.uk
story:
{As part of ongoing efforts to reduce the spread of
pirated Xbox 360
games and support the region’s legitimate resellers, Microsoft Gulf
today announced that UAE authorities confiscated over 29,000 pirated
copies of Xbox 360 games in a series of 21 coordinated raids on reseller
stores in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
In Abu Dhabi, the Ministry of Economy liaised with the Abu Dhabi
Department of Economic Development to gain additional officers for
assistance; enabling them to target a number of stores, and to conduct
the raids simultaneously.
“The ramifications of piracy and the distribution of pirated goods
will always negatively impact any economy and hinder growth. It does no
justice to the businesses that are operating legitimately and complying
with all regulatory and UAE laws,” said Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz,
Managing Director, UAE Ministry of Economy. “The Ministry, in
collaboration with private rights holders such as Microsoft, will take
all necessary actions to clamp down on piracy and the distribution of
counterfeit products in the UAE.”}
The never ending tide
of counterfeit products. Now it is infecting Xbox games as well.
(Tony
Zafiropoulos)
5/31/2010
MIT = Made in Taiwan: 10,000
marked MIT by end of 2010theepochtimes.com
story:
{These days “Made in Taiwan” often means “Made in China”,
as more
counterfeit products are being sold with Taiwanese labels.
“Agencies under the ministry, including the Bureau of Foreign Trade, the
Industrial Development Bureau, and the Bureau of Standards, Metrology,
and Inspection, have formed a special investigative team to crack down
on commercial piracy,” Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lin
Sheng-chung said, reports the Taiwan Times.
The Taiwan Times
reports that while anti-Chinese protests and riots
flare across local industries, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs
Liang Kuo-hsing announced that the government will actively promote the
“MIT” quality mark on local products, making them clearly
distinguishable from Chinese counterfeits. More than 10,000 items will
be marked with the “MIT” by the end of this year with an expected
20,000 more to be added next March.}
Taiwan understands the
importance of Brand identity, including the brand of MIT.
(Tony
Zafiropoulos)
5/30/2010
iPed counterfeits the iPad by
appleIntomobile.com
story:
{The land where counterfeit products
outnumber the aggregate of legitimate electronics, software, clothes,
accessories, etc.has just started making their own Apple (AAPL) iPad,
only it’s called
the “iPed” and it doesn’t come from Apple. In the same Chinese city
that Apple’siPhone
and iPad manufacturing plant calls home, the Chinese “iPed” has just
started getting some serious traction. Reports have Chinese news
stations covering the launch of this obvious iPad rip-off, which uses
the Android mobile operating system in place of the Apple’s iPhone OS.
According
to reports, the iPed is on sale in Shenzen, China. That’s the same
place that all iPhones and iPads are manufactured – in the Foxconn
manufacturing
facility that has been getting so much bad press recently. It’s not
clear how the proximity of the Foxconn plant helped make the iPed almost
aesthetically identical to what Apple launched earlier this year. The
Chinese Android-powered tablet even ships in a box that looks like
something
that Apple sells in its retail stores around the US.}
Even if you
argue that the iPed is not even close to the iPad (looks and
functionality) and thus is a weaker competitor. I think this is a bad
precedent, China is again trashing the iPad(apple's) name. A name needs
to be protected, and the iPed should be pursued by Apple as a very
similar sounding product (especially since it is close to the iPad
looks.
(Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/29/2010
$15 million dollars of Football knockoff
shirts seizedAlarmnewsportal.com
story:
{The International Authentication Association (IAA) is
urging official
suppliers to the FIFA World Cup to review their anti-counterfeiting
plans by, following reports that fake sports gear is swamping South
Africa’s streets.
Despite efforts to clampdown on counterfeit
goods coming mainly from China and other Asian countries, fake jerseys
and other merchandise for national teams will be, says the IAA, costing
bonafide suppliers millions of dollars in lost revenue this summer.
Recently,
customs authorities have confiscated over $13 million worth of
counterfeit football clothing while last month South African police
recently seized more than $2 million worth of South Africa shirts.}
Word
cup Football will start on June 11th and the competition ends on
July11th, so the counterfeiters are ramping up their efforts.
(Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/28/2010
18 people arrested in Boussier City, La.,
counterfeitsKsla.com
story:
{The Bossier Parish Sheriff's office, Bossier
City Police, and Louisiana State Police Troop G teamed up to crack down
on businesses selling counterfeit goods. These agencies busted six
different locations in Bossier Parish. Five were within Bossier City
limits and one was in Haughton.
At least 18 people were arrested during the
entire sting Wednesday morning.
The agencies seized
thousands of dollars
worth of clothing and products that were labeled as name brand products,
like Nike and Polo.
"Some of these products are pretty well done.
So it's hard to tell," said Ed Baswell, Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office
Public Information Officer.}
1. more people arrested (this
seems never ending)
2. counterfeits are at times hard to
differentiate from the real products. Authentication seems like an
afterthought in most products. By using an
authentication marker
that would change, now the product can be authenticated with precision.
(Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/27/2010
Police seize $8000 of music and movies in
TexasGastongazette.com
story:
{Police say they seized nearly $8,000 worth of
counterfeit music and
movies from a traveling flea market vendor Tuesday.
Officer William Hall of the Gaston County Police Department stopped a
Honda coupe near I-85 Exit 8 at 10:35 a.m. He pulled the vehicle over
for an expired license plate and illegal window tint, said Sgt. Billy
Downey.}
Normal, routine traffic stop caused this person to be
caught. Gaston County police officers received special training in
spotting trademark violations. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/26/2010
11,000 counterfeit products destroyed in Abhu
DhabiKippreport.com
story:
{The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development
has destroyed a huge batch of counterfeit products, the Gulf News
reports.
The total number of products destroyed was 11,263, says the paper,
which included 5,129 electrical and electronic products and phones,
3,022 items of clothing, 2,710 items of cosmetics, and over 400 tobacco
products.
UAE is a major importer and exporter of
counterfeit goods, whether it is willingly or unwillingly. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/25/2010
3mil pounds of counterfeits seized in Glasgownews.scotman.com
story:
{Officers uncovered the £3 million haul in a search of
business premises
in Glasgow's Commerce Street on Thursday morning.
Police said
that no arrests were made, but they are investigating the
find and expect several people to be brought in for questioning.
Detective
Chief Inspector John McDonald said: "The estimated street value of this
recovery is in the region of £3 million.}
It is a never-ending
deluge of counterfeit products coming in everywhere, circumventing
regular channels. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/24/2010
Coach handbags sues Chicago due to
counterfeitsWBBM780.com
story:
{
Coach, the world-renowned name
behind high-end
leather goods, shoes, jewelry and accessories, claims that knockoff
products that have been sold at the city's Maxwell Street Market are
damaging to the company's reputation and the company has filed a federal
lawsuit to stop the sales at the Near West Side marketplace.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Chicago, Coach sued the
city of Chicago doing business as the New Maxwell Street Market and two
people who have sold the counterfeit goods as well as one hundred
others whose names are unknown.
Coach claims in the suit that even though the two sellers of the
knockoff goods -- Cong Wu and Xiao Yang -- were arrested for selling
counterfeit goods, the city and the Market have not taken the necessary
steps to keep this from happening again.}It will be
interesting to see how this lawsuit ends up.
Authentication
could be a legal hedge against lawsuits. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/23/2010
11 million Euros in assets seized, gang sold
counterfeitsExpatica.com
story:
{
Seven suspected leaders of a gang selling
Chinese-made goods
under fake brand names were arrested in Italy in a Europe-wide operation
that has made 67 arrests in two years, police and justice agencies said
Friday.
Investigators seized materials and assets worth more than 11 million
euros (13.8 million dollars) during Thursday's bust in Naples, of which
four million euros came from bank accounts and safe deposit boxes, said a
joint statement by policing agency Europol and its justice counterpart,
Eurojust.}
These are criminal elements in Italy
selling counterfeit products, including iPhones. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/22/2010
If Art is Authenticated you can tell a real
from a fake paintingtheage.com.au
story:
{The world's biggest art heist in 20 years was all too
easy for the lone
intruder who made off with masterpieces worth $150 million from a Paris
museum due to a broken security system, it has been revealed.
As
a collection of five pieces, the stolen works are a significant
commentary of modern art. "These five works together add up to a better
choice of the best art of the 20th century than you could find in most
modern art museums," wrote
The Guardian's Jonathan Jones.}
Here
is a case where
Authentication
would be easy to perform if a marker was placed on the painting. Then
using one of our
detectors
you could detect whether a painting is real or copied.
Our
authentication marker
can be placed on anything that is valuable where authentication is a
useful action. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/21/2010
Indonesian study: $4Bil economic losses due to
counterfeitsthejakartaglobe.com
story:
{Indonesia is awash with counterfeit products, with
losses in various
sectors of the economy estimated at Rp 37 trillion ($4 billion) a year,
according to a new study by the University of Indonesia and the
Indonesian Anti-Counterfeiting Society.
“The circulation of
counterfeit products in Indonesia is very concerning,” Ibrahim Senen,
head of legal and government relations at the society, also known as
MIAP, said on Wednesday. “Most of the counterfeit products are copies of
popular brands, which are well-known to the public and easy to sell.” }
Counterfeit
products harm economies in many ways.
(Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/20/2010
Counterfeit Skin Creams can
cause Liver damage over timenewrepublic.com
story:
{ports.}
Light
industry productSome creams promising to lighten skin,
eliminate age spots and zap
freckles contain high levels of mercury, a toxic metal that can cause
severe health problems, a Chicago investigation has
found.
The Tribune sent 50 skin-lightening creams to a certified lab for
testing, most of them purchased in Chicago stores
and a few ordered online.
Six were found to contain amounts of mercury banned by federal law.
Of those, five had more than 6,000 parts per million — enough to
potentially cause kidney damage over time, according to a medical
expert.
The Food and Drug Administration banned mercury in
skin-bleaching or lightening products in 1990, but the agency rarely
tests the products to see if consumers are at risk. The Tribune's tests —
among only a handful ever conducted — show that tainted products are
still readily available.}
Unfortunately this is not surprising if
you have been reading this blog for a while.
(Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/19/2010
UK Policeman sold counterfeit products in Kent
DailyMail.co.uk
story:
{A policeman has been arrested for allegedly seizing
thousands of pounds
worth of counterfeit goods from car boot sales and selling them on the
black market.
He is said to have then sold on the
hoard, which mainly consisted of
copied and pirated DVDs but is thought to have also included other
counterfeit items such as clothes and perfume.}
Everyone
wants to get some extra money including Policemen who normally make
£28000 per year($40305).
(Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/18/2010
$1.2mil in counterfeit products seized at
O'Hare Airport
cedailynews.com
story:
{Chicago Sun-Times
reported that
federal agents at O'Hare International Airport seized more than $1.2
million worth of counterfeit cell phones, game systems and other
electronics earlier this month. The counterfeit products came from China
and were bound for Florida.
The discovery occurred during
routine examinations where U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers
at O'Hare seized 25 cartons of counterfeit merchandise. The cartons
contained cell phones, head phones and gaming systems which clearly
infringed on trademarks recorded with Customs and Border Protection
(CBP). The product was estimated to have a retail value of $1.25 million
and a domestic value of $1.17 million.}
The story went on
to say the shipment came from China and was destined to Florida (story
was written on 5/13). I wanted to show again that where products come
from and where they are heading is not always the most direct route.
(Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/17/2010
Vietnam customs has difficult work in
anti-counterfeit efforts
Asian-legal-business.blogspot.com
post:
{The responsibility of anti-counterfeiting falls mainly on
the Market
Management Board and the Economic Police. Both government agencies are
given the powers to conduct raids against suppliers of counterfeit
products. While there is overlapping authority, the Economic Police
generally targets their actions against large counterfeiters while the
Market Management Board focuses on retail counterfeiting.
The
Vietnam Customs also play a pivotal role in preventing the entry of
counterfeit products into the country. Counterfeit products are commonly
smuggled into Vietnam from the China-Vietnam border as well as key
ports like Hai Phong and Da Nang. In 2007 and 2008, the Vietnam Customs
have successful stopped the entry of counterfeit Nokia accessories into
the country. The Customs’ powers to conduct raids and seizures exceeds
beyond the port area. Unlike some countries in Southeast Asia, where the
Customs jurisdiction is generally limited to detention of products in
the ports, the Vietnam Customs is empowered to conduct investigations
against import related offences. Hence, their powers include conducting
raids against distributors in key cities if the matter arises from a
Customs investigation.}
The large counterfeit operations in China
use many export points, including Vietnam. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/16/2010
BAT says 5% of all cigarettes smoked worldwide
counterfeit
Lifestyletom.com
story:
{Americas Watchdog is one of the premier consumer advocacy groups in the United States.
The group has
formed a piracy & counterfeiting task force to take on sellers of
"on line" counterfeit drugs or cigarettes. The group is warning all
consumers worldwide to avoid doing business with "on line" pharmacies or
cigarette "retailers" unless they can provide credentials. Aside from
potential lethal counterfeit drugs or cigarettes, consumers expose them
selves to possible identity theft
or paying for something they never get. "Who wants to do business with
the Russian Mafia or organized crime"? Americas Watchdog's Global Piracy
& Counterfeiting Consultants are seeking corporate partnerships to
curb this growing worldwide problem with buy operations designed to
expose the counterfeiters or their "retail" outlets. The two areas to be
targeted are:
*Counterfeit Cigarettes
British American
Tobacco has reported that more than one in 20 cigarettes smoked
worldwide is either smuggled or counterfeit. }
This is not
surprising as counterfeiters target cigarettes, the odd man out is the
state as it takes in less tax revenue. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/15/2010
WHO defines counterfeit medicine: good or bad
for IP?
OneWorld.net
story:
{We, the undersigned organizations are very concerned about
the nature
and extent of WHO’s involvement in issues pertaining to counterfeit
medical products. We recognize that work must be undertaken under WHO’s
leadership to ensure availability of quality, safe and efficacious
pharmaceuticals but we fear that WHO’s involvement in the issue of
“Counterfeits” will have adverse consequences for access to affordable
medicines while failing to address the very real problem of
proliferation of pharmaceuticals with compromised quality, safety and
efficacy.The term “Counterfeit” is defined by the WTO-TRIPS Agreement as
referring to a specific category of trademark violation1 and in some
legislation to all other intellectual property (IP) violations as well.
It is against this background that WHO’s use of the term
“Counterfeit”
to refer to a range of
pharmaceutical quality and safety problems is most concerning. Not only
has this resulted in confusion but also offered a convenient route for
proponents of an extended IP agenda to press for inappropriate IP
enforcement standards in developing countries under the false premise
that such standards will deliver quality assured pharmaceuticals to the
people.}
In the name of affordable medicine for all it is vogue to demonize
Intellectual property owners. What companies should do is safeguard
their IP by using ingenious Authentication
methods. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/14/2010
Uganda anti-counterfeit Bill may restrict
access to medicine
IPSnews.com
story:
{The Ugandan government’s controversial Anti-Counterfeiting
Bill has been amended after civil society organisations campaigned
against provisions in the bill that may restrict access to generic
medicines, which form the bulk of medicines used in the East African
country.
Organisations such as Health Action International Africa
(HAI Africa) and the Coalition for Health Promotion and Social
Development (HEPS Uganda) pointed out that the definition of counterfeit
goods in the first version of the bill was so wide as to criminalise
the production and importation of legitimate, effective generic
medication.}
This is why it is difficult to accomplish something
in the Intellectual Property area. Sometimes politics rears its power
and is difficult to rein in. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/13/2010
$13 million of counterfeit football apparel
confiscated
Independent.co.uk
story:
{One month before the World Cup kick-off, fake
jerseys and souvenirs have swamped South Africa's streets, despite a
clampdown on bogus goods coming mainly from Asia.
Knock-off jerseys for the national team Bafana
Bafana, England, Brazil and Spain are sold freely on the streets, as
vendors openly tout for customers while dodging police.
"There has been a marked surge in fake football
merchandise. Most of the items seized are manufactured in Asia," said
Mohamed Khader from Spoor and Fisher, a law firm representing FIFA.
Since the beginning of
the year, customs authorities have confiscated
over 100 million rands (13 million dollars, 10 million euros) worth of
counterfeit football apparel coming mainly from China and other Asian
countries.}
The counterfeiters produce
whatever is popular, with the World cup starting on June10th, or iPhones
it does not matter. Whatever makes money. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/12/2010
Jack Stradley, Rochester Electronics: "7% of
all global trade is counterfeit"
EEtimes.com
story:
{As counterfeiters of electronic components grow bolder and
more
sophisticated, there is evidence that even equipment ordered or built by
the U.S. Defense Department is vulnerable to incursions by fake or
substandard parts. The mounting problem jeopardizes the electronics
supply chain and increases the likelihood of U.S. government oversight
of the tech sector, according to distribution industry sources.
Jack
Stradley, manager for business development and government relations
at Rochester Electronics and a former chairman of the Semiconductor
Industry Association's anti-counterfeiting task force, said up to 7
percent of global world trade is "attributable to counterfeit goods,"
making the crime tremendously profitable for the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, detection of counterfeit goods has become increasingly
difficult as counterfeiters have deployed advanced technologies to make
their illegal knock-offs appear more similar to the legitimate
originals, Stradley said.}
That is why you must use sophisticated
technologies. So sophisticated that it cannot be reproduced, thus
proving the real versus fake nature of the product. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/11/2010
Versace gets $20mil award in LA from
counterfeit court case
Heraldsun.com.au
story:
{Italian fashion house Versace says it has been awarded
$20million by a court in Los Angeles in a vast counterfeiting and
trademark case in the United States
Versace said overnight
that in 2003, investigators moved in on 72
retail stores in southern California and Arizona and charged 110 people
for selling counterfeit goods bearing brand names owned by the company.}
It
took 7 years to receive this result, and this story does not say when
Versace will actually see some money. Counterfeiting has to be solved in
a different manner. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/10/2010
$40 million and 2900 packs of cigarettes
seized in Jamaica
Jamaica-gleaner.com
story:
{The police Organised Crime Investigation Division (OCID) is
stepping up
its drive against the trade in counterfeit cigarettes despite death
threats aimed at its members, allegedly from major players in the trade.
News of the death threats emerged last month after the police seized
more than $40 million and a large quantity of counterfeit cigarettes
during operations in Beverly Hills, St Andrew,
and downtown Kingston.}
Counterfeit products are typically sold by crime syndicates,
especially cigarettes. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/9/2010
Saudi gets 4 years for selling counterfeit Cisco to US Marines
tmcnet.com
story:
{Ehab Ali Ashoor, 49, was sentenced to four years and
three months
in federal prison after he was convicted at trial in January, federal
authorities said Thursday.
Ashoor bought counterfeit Cisco equipment from an online vendor in China
intending to sell it to the Marine Corps in Iraq for transmitting troop
movements, relaying intelligence and maintaining security for a
military base west of Fallujah, according to evidence produced at
Ashoor's trial.}
It all comes back to China, it seems
there are always more counterfeit products coming from China. (Tony
Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/8/2010
Roulement Bearings Kugellager to pay 45k euro
to SKF
Manufacturer.com
story:
{Manufacturers are being warned of the threats posed by
counterfeit
engineering spares after a French distributor was found guilty of
selling fake SKF bearings.
Roulement Bearings
Kugellager was ordered to pay
damages of €45,000 to SKF late last year for distributing copies of its
bearings. It was also ordered to pay all of the associated with the
confiscation of the counterfeit products as well as the publication of
the court order in three magazines.
Jeremy Salisbury at maintenance, repair and overhaul
(MRO) products supplier Brammer said the increasing rate of incidence of
fake bearings confiscation indicates a growing threat from
counterfeiters seeking to exploit these challenging economic times.}
In
Electronics market, counterfeit products are a nuisance, but in the
bearings market they can get rather dangerous to human lives. Of course
counterfeit medicine has also been shown to be life-threatening. Part of
the problem is that once these products are in the stream of products
and in the supply chain it is hard to root them out. There has to be
more emphasis on Authenticating products, to ensure that what you really
purchased is correct. (Tony Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/7/2010
President of Taiwan wants to root out
counterfeit goods from China
Etaiwannews.com
story:
{The government should
crack down
on counterfeit goods from China as hard as on illegal medicine,
President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday after a businessman emptied a
stack of the wares on the floor in front of him.
Ma was
attending a
seminar at the Anping Industrial Zone in Tainan about his proposed
Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with China when a participant
came forward and dumped a heap of the alleged counterfeit products in
the middle of the room.}
There seems to be a never ending
supply of counterfeits from China.(Tony Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/6/2010
Shanghai seized 640,000 counterfeit goods, closed 114 sites
english.peopledaily.com.cn
story:
{Chinese police are cracking down on
intellectual property rights (IPR) violations to create a clean market
environment for the six-month long World Expo in Shanghai that opened
Saturday.
As of April 15, police across the nation have arrested
529 suspects and confiscated more than 4.2 million fake and pirated
goods worth 190 million yuan (29 million U.S. dollars), said a statement
published on the website of the Public Security Ministry Tuesday.
In
Shanghai, the police have closed 114 sites selling or manufacturing
fake and pirated goods, arresting 130 suspects and seizing 640,000
counterfeit goods, the statement said.}
These seizures do
not seem to end.(Tony Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/5/2010
India is on "Priority Watch List" regarding
counterfeit goods
Business-Standard.com
story:
{US watchdog lauds India’s IPR efforts, but picks holes in
legal
framework.
Counterfeit goods and pirated software and optical media continue to
thrive in India. A report by the United States Trade Representative
(USTR) has named Nehru Place and Palika Bazaar in New Delhi, Richie
Street and Burma Bazaar in Chennai, Manish Market, Heera Panna,
Lamington Road and Fort District in Mumbai, and Chandni Chowk in Kolkata
as markets that need to be watched out for this high-volume trade.
India,
in fact, continues to be on the “priority watch list” of the
USTR’s “Special 301” report, despite a detailed submission of the
intellectual property rights (IPR) compliance measures initiated by it
in 2009.
}
The USTR (United States Trade Representative has to make
judgements with regard to the efforts and actions taken by various
governments, including India.(Tony Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/4/2010
How to buy an Authentication Marker by the IAA
Whitehouse.gov
initiative (this is a submitted letter to the United States
Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator):
{I am writing on
behalf of the International Authentication Association (IAA) for which I
am the General Secretary / Americas. The IAA is a practice based,
non-profit organization made up of 17 member companies who are users or
suppliers of authentication/tracking technologies used in the fight
against global counterfeiting. Today, IAA member technologies protect
the currency of the United States and over 100 other countries around
the world, the majority of the world’s credit cards as well as numerous
passports, national ID cards & drivers’ licenses. IAA members are
either users or providers of authentication products and services to
companies in product categories including pharmaceuticals, computer
software, electronics, luxury goods, automotive parts, and apparel.}
This
is a letter to the IAA by Randall Burgess. He continues to outline
what type of decision should be made and how in regards to an
Authentication Marker.(Tony Zafiropoulos)
Here are the steps to
keep in mind when procuring an Authentication Marker:
a.
An Overt,
eye-verifiable counterfeit-resistant technology, which may include
technologies including, but not limited to, holograms and their
variations, color-shifting inks similar to those currently utilized in
US currency and other optical technologies which may become available in
the future.
A Semi-covert technology which can be visually
verified with the aid of a hand held reader, magnifying glass, or
lighting device, such as UV (ultra-violet), IR (infra-red), or
microscopic printed information.
i.
Invisible covert technology
which will require a dedicated, specialized reader or test instrument
for verification.
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/3/2010
China already has the next iPhone4G
Redmondpie.com
story:
{Its only been a couple of weeks since Gizmodo leaked the
next Apple iPhone4G, and now we already have a Chinese knock-off of it.
It was found in a Beijing electronics store and has been made to look
like the recently "lost" iphone4G. This counterfeit product features a
3.2’’ screen, a 2MP camera of disreputable origin, below par build
quality, FM Radio, Java support, DualSIM, and it runs on top of a
Chinese OS.}
Chinese knock-off artists (counterfeiters) have been
busy creating the next generation of iPhone just like Apple has.The
only way to stay ahead of the counterfeiters is to include authentication Markers
in your products which cannot be counterfeited. (Tony Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/2/2010
4 countries removed from Watch list US Trade Report
US Trade Representative Report:
{Positive
accomplishments recognized in this year’s Report include improved
efforts by trading partners the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, all
of whom have been removed from the Watch List. Additionally, after
successful Out-of-Cycle Reviews in 2009, Saudi Arabia was removed from
the Watch List, and Israel has entered into an understanding with the
United States whereby it will address key outstanding IPR issues.
The
2010 Special 301 review process examined IPR protection and enforcement
in 77 countries. Following extensive research and analysis, USTR
designates the 42 countries below as follows:
Priority Watch
List: Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, India, Indonesia,
Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Venezuela.
Watch List: Belarus,
Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Spain,
Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.
Section
306 Monitoring: Paraguay.
Status Pending: Israel.}
So it
looks like Poland, Czech Republik, Hungary and Saudi Arabia have made
enough strides in their Intellectual Property efforts where the US trade
representative felt it was good enough to remove from their watch list
status.(Tony Zafiropoulos)
Tony
Zafiropoulos
5/1/2010