Customs Training Programme, Chennai
26/09/2014 | Chennai
Smuggling and counterfeiting in India are growing in scope and magnitude with every passing day. The extent and effects of smuggling and counterfeiting are of such significance that they compel strong and sustained action from governments, enforcement agencies, business, media, legal experts and consumers.
More effective enforcement is critical in this regard, as we need to build public support to combat smuggling and counterfeiting. With this view,FICCI CASCADE organised a training program of Customs officers to sensitize them on the menace of smuggling and counterfeiting,in Chennai on September 26, 2014.
Mr. BidhanChantra, Joint Commissioner of Customs, Chennai, while inaugurating the programme, shared his views and insights on the menace of counterfeiting and smuggling. Mr. Chantra observed that taking advantage of the technology revolution, counterfeiters and smugglers were coming up with very good imitation products, and active interaction between industry and customs was the key to mitigate this growing illicit trade. Welcoming the training programme for Customs officers organized byFICCI CASCADE, he said that these forums proved useful for industry-customs collaborationin understanding and tackling the growing menace of illicit trade practices, and these programs should be organized across the country
Mr. Dipankar Barkakati, Head, FICCI CASCADE in his special address, highlighted the initiatives taken by FICCI CASCADE so far. He also emphasised on the need to curb smuggling and counterfeiting by strengthening the legal and regulatory frameworks, enhancing enforcement and generating awareness of the consumers on the need to fight the twin menace.
The training programme was attended by over 75 customs officials, and provided a useful platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences in the detectionand preventionof the entry of counterfeit and smuggled goods into the country.
Representatives ofMicrosoft, Dow Corning and Puma gave presentations and exhibited samples of their original products alongside the counterfeit copies. The objective was to inform the participating Customs officials about the growing problem of counterfeiting and smuggling in the respective industry segments, and to highlight key technical aspects of their products which could facilitate the detection of counterfeit products. The participating Customs officials found the presentations constructive and interacted actively both with the company representatives and among themselves.
This initiative of FICCI CASCADE was supported by Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd and Ranjan Narula Associates, IP Attorney.
Vietnam appeases Big Tobacco with toothless taxes
Vietnam’s latest bid to raise its tobacco taxes will do little to curb consumption because it fails to hit the country’s die-hard smokers where they hurt most – their pockets, health groups say. At a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly – Vietnam’s legislature – on Thursday, Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung put forth a proposal to raise the excise tax on tobacco from 65 percent to 70 percent in January 2016 and 75 percent in 2019.
The finance ministry said the 2010 Global Adult Tobacco Survey found that around 15.3 million people actively smoke in Vietnam, exposing an estimated 46.8 million, mostly women and children, to secondhand smoke. Smoking caused around 40,000 deaths in Vietnam in 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, which warned that this figure could surge to 70,000 by the end of 2030 if drastic measures are not taken.
Lear MoreRomanian seizes EUR 6 mln worth of smuggled cigarettes in eight months
Romanian customs workers seized almost 49 million smuggled cigarettes worth some EUR 6 million in the first eight months of this year, said Claudiu Ardeleanu, the general manager of Romania’s General Directorate for Customs. This represented a growth of 34% year-on-year. The three main tobacco companies in Romania, the National Tax Administration ANAF and Romania’s customs recently agreed to collaborate in fighting the black market for cigarettes and cigarette smuggling.
Lear MoreSeminar on Curbing Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative for Indian Economy, Hyderabad
18/9/2014 | Hyderabad
India’s economic growth story has attracted the world’s attention, bringing new challenges for the domestic economy. One of the major issues for the economy and the industry is the uninhibited growth of counterfeit, fake and smuggled goods. The market for fake and counterfeit products is thriving in India and is today one of the biggest challenges faced by Indian industry. FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeit Activities Destroying the Economy – FICCI CASCADE, with the participation of all leading industries from all sectors of the economy, is committed to fight this twin menace of counterfeiting and smuggling.
FICCI CASCADE, with a view to engage all relevant stakeholders including government representatives, enforcement agencies, excise and customs, consumer activists, media as well as industry and legal experts, and to sensitize them to fight against counterfeiting and smuggling, organized a seminar on “Curbing Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative for Indian Economy” on 18 September, 2014 in Hyderabad. The seminar brought together experts to raise concerns over the growing illicit trade and to create large-scale awareness among the impacted segments of the society.
Counterfeit good dealers sentenced
Donald Kadondara (32), from Katlehong, appeared in court on a charge of copyright infringement.He pleaded guilty and was found guilty on September 8 and sentenced on September 11, to R3 000 or three months imprisonment.On June 18, the accused was arrested for selling 127 copied DVD’s, without the copyright holder’s consent, at an intersection in Boksburg.According to the accused he bought the DVD’s for R5 each from a man in a parking area at a shopping centre.
http://boksburgadvertiser.co.za/209663/counterfeit-good-dealers-sentenced/
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Brief: Fake iPhone 6 handsets seized in US
iPhone 6US customs have seized fraudulent iPhone 6 handsets, even before the new device has been launched onto the market.In late August, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents intercepted two iPhone 6 phones among other counterfeit devices and cell phone accessories infringing the intellectual property rights (IPR) of Apple and Samsung.
The various courier consignments inspected by CBP officers at the San Juan Air Cargo facility, revealed other fake products such as 2 Samsung Galaxy phones, and 319 iPhone cell phone panels.
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Mathematic model can guide anti-counterfeit strategy
ShoppingBrand owners often cite a lack of data about the way counterfeits penetrate the supply chain as a barrier to tackling the problem, but researchers in China are developing mathematical models to help them understand how the illicit market functions.Their research focuses not on non-deceptive counterfeits – such as a $20 Louis Vuitton bag that the purchaser clearly knows is not genuine – but rather fakes which are deceptively packaged and sold as authentic brand name products via the brand owner’s supply chain.
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GHD Hails £1m Counterfeit Seizure
Leeds-headquartered premium hair care products brand GHD has hailed the authorities after £1m worth of fake straighteners and hairdryers were seized.A spokesman for the private equity-backed business said its number one priority is to “protect GHD consumers by preventing the importation and sale of potentially dangerous counterfeit goods”.The fake appliances were removed from shops and markets in Manchester by trading standards officers.
http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/yorkshire/123549-/
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Nelson shop worker caught with haul of counterfeit tobacco
A SHOP worker has been ordered to carry out 150 hours community service after being caught with a haul of dodgy tobacco in Nelson.Investigators from Lancashire trading standards found 536 packets of various cigarettes, but mainly Mayfairs, without health warnings when they raided Reedyford off licence in February.
And Imran Zafar, 24, also had 115 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco, chiefly Golden Virginia, minus the health warnings. The 105 Golden Virginia pouches were also found to be counterfeit, Burnley magistrates were told.
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Ringleader of counterfeit goods outfit sentenced to 30 months in prison
A counterfeit goods ringleader has been sentenced to a total of two and a half years in prison for selling fake branded goods across London and beyond.On Tuesday 26 August, at Basildon Crown Court, Ashish Chopra was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment. Chahat Chopra and Tina Chopra were each given suspended prison sentences of 18 months. Tina Chopra was given 150 hours of unpaid work and Chahat Chopra was given 200 hours of unpaid work.Havering Council were first alerted to the case when Trading Standards officers seized fake branded goods including Juicy Couture, Chanel, Gucci, The White Company and Louis Vuitton at a storage centre used by the family.
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