February 2018

Candlelight Campaign Against Counterfeits

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Students of Christ Nagar College participated in a candlelight congregation, organised by FICCI as part of a nation-wide awareness campaign to highlight the growing menace of illegal trade activities in the district.

More than 150 students and consumers with candles in their hand and banners stating ‘Buy Genuine Not Smuggled’ participated in congregation in the city. Fr Titto Varghese, principal, Christ Nagar College and Savio Mathew, head FICCI Kerala State Council felicitated the campaign.

IGP Crime Branch S Sreejith was the chief guest. He congratulated FICCI CASCADE for taking the steps to enrol the youth in the fight against illegal trade such as smuggled and counterfeit goods. Sreejith said the activities involving illegal curbs economic independence and one must pledge to not use fake products. He said the fight against smuggling is a necessity in the larger interest of the nation’s economy.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2018/feb/23/candle-light-campaign-against-counterfeits-1777495.html

Candle Light Congregation on Fight Against Counterfeiting and Smuggling, Thiruvananthapuram

22/2/2018 | Christ Nagar College, Thiruvananthapuram

As a part of its series of nation-wide awareness campaigns to highlight the issue of the growing menace of illicit trading activities, FICCI CASCADE also organized a candle light congregation for the students of Christ Nagar College, on 22nd February 2018 in Thiruvananthapuram. Over 200 students, with candles in their hands and banners stating, ‘Buy Make in India’ and ‘Say No to Smuggled Goods’ participated in this event with much zest and zeal. The congregation urged all to take a pledge against using fake products and to fight the menace of smuggling which was in the larger interest of the nation’s economy. The Principal of Christ Nagar College, Rev. Dr. Titto Varghese, commended FICCI CASCADE’s endeavour in initiating the nation-wide movement against counterfeit and smuggled goods. IGP Crime Branch, S Sreejith, who was the Chief Guest at the congregation, said that activities involving illicit trade curbed the economic independence of the nation and there was the need to collectively counter this menace.

Seminar on Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling- An Imperative to Accelerate Economic Development, Thiruvananthapuram

21/2/2018, Hotel Taj Vivanta, Thiruvananthapuram

Illicit business networks are infiltrating and undermining licit markets globally. In the process, they are jeopardizing public health and safety, discouraging research and development, and eroding government revenues, thus hurting the economic development of countries across the world.

With the objective of engaging relevant stakeholders, including government officials, enforcement agencies, youth, the media, industry, legal experts and consumer activists, and to sensitize them on the severe adverse impact that counterfeiting and smuggling activities entail, FICCI CASCADE organized a series of programme in Kerala during 21^st to 23^rd February 2018. The events provided a useful forum to deliberate on the challenges posed by the growing levels of such illicit activities, and generated valuable exchanges among the participating stakeholders.

On 21^st February 2018, a seminar on the theme “Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative to Accelerate Economic Development” was organized in Thiruvananthapuram, where experts from various fields came together to discuss the growing concern over illicit trade in the state and the need for awareness generation on the many adverse impacts of the menace among the impacted segments of the society.

Mr. V. S. Sunil Kumar, Minister for Agriculture, Government of Kerala, the Chief Guest on the occasion, underlined the need to generate awareness on the ill effects of such illicit trading activities, especially in a maritime state like Kerala, and the need for all concerned to fight this socio-economic menace. He observed that smuggling was emerging as a major threat to national security, and the funds generated through the large quantities of smuggled products, particularly of electronic products, foreign cigarettes, gold etc., were being used by criminal syndicates and terrorists.

Mr. P C Jha, Advisor FICCI CASCADE & Former Chairman, Central Board of Excise and Customs, pointed out that counterfeiting was the biggest scourge impairing the world’s economy, accounting for almost 10% of global trade. Elaborating on the magnitude of the problem, Mr Jha informed that in India the total loss to the government in respect of just seven items, as per a FICCI CASCADE study estimate, had increased steeply from Rs. 26,190 crore to Rs. 39,239 crores.

While observing that cigarettes, saffron and gold were the most smuggled items in Kerala, he said that loopholes in the taxation policy encouraged tax evasion leading to smuggling of goods. He also stated that counterfeiting was the number one crime of 21^st century, putting at stake brand owners’ reputation, causing severe loss of revenue to the public exchequer, and posing a serious threat to the security – nationally and internationally.

The seminar also included a panel discussion on ‘Countering the Menace of Counterfeiting and Smuggling – Resolutions and Possible Solutions’, where experts from related areas discussed the issue at hand. Mr. Deep Chand, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Special Commissioner of Delhi Police, in his address said “8 to 15% of global GDP is impacted due to illicit trade and criminal activities. It is time that we, as a national and as a part of the global economy, call for stern and resolute counterstrike force against such ill-intentioned activities”.

The seminar also marked the enthusiastic and encouraging support of enforcement officers. Mr. S Sreejith, IG, Crime Branch, Kerala Police said that counterfeiting and smuggling activities soon graduated to organized crimes, and to check these, the law enforcement agencies should be made more powerful. Joint Commissioner of Customs, Mr. Aneish P Rajan, pointed out the lack of manpower and facilities to check the rising number of sophisticated smuggling activities in the state. He also expressed the concern that international smuggling networks appeared to be increasingly recruiting Kerala youth as carriers. Both the enforcement officials underlined the importance of consumer support in fighting the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling, the need for their active involvement in the cause, and how by merely registering their complaints with the police and custom departments could make a difference. 

Adv. Jayakrishnan, Secretary, Bar Association of Thiruvanthapuram, spoke on the challenges faced in countering illicit trade, including the shortage of manpower, leakage of vital information, slow prosecution, corruption among officials, IPR crimes not given adequate importance – among others.  Mr. S.N. Raghuchandran Nair, President, Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the quest for luxury products like mobile phones, consumer durables etc. among consumers and specifically the youth was very high. We need to enlighten them on the related loss of revenue, educate the masses on the ill-effect of such products on their health and safety, impose stricter punishment and raise the will to curb the menace of illicit products. “Smuggling takes place in various forms including mis-declaration and undervaluation. Markets across India are flooded with smuggled items, consequences of which are alarming” said Mr. Shibu Prabhakaran, President, Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mr. Arjun, Director, Parthas Textile and Dr. P T Ajith Kumar, CEO, Lights Logics Holography & Optics also spoke extensively on the subject.

Over 120 delegates attended the seminar and the event generated constructive interaction with delegates demonstrating an active interest in the issue.

Seminar on Counterfeiting, Smuggling on Feb 21

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 19 (UNI) A seminar on ‘Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling — An Imperative to Accelerate Economic Development’ will be held here on February 21.
The objective of the event is to outline the impact of counterfeiting and smuggling. 
Senior Government officials of Industries, Commerce, Police and Customs departments will take part in the discussions during the seminar.
The event is organised by FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying Economy (CASCADE).
Kerala Agriculture Minister Adv. V. S. Sunil kumar, Food and Civil Supplies Minister P Thilothaman will grace the occasion. 

http://www.uniindia.com/seminar-on-counterfeiting-smuggling-on-feb-21/states/news/1142917.html

US : 43-Year-Old Chinese National Guilty Of Selling Fake Apple Devices Worth $1.1mn

A Chinese citizen, living in the United States was convicted of participating in an operation of counterfeit products from China that involved the sale of fake iPhones and iPads to the customers.

43-year-old Chinese national, Jianhua ‘Jeff Li, was pronounced guilty before US Court Judge Kevin McNulty, for trafficking counterfeit goods and labels and, smuggling goods into the United States on Friday.

The case has been underway since 2015 when Li was indicted and taken into custody. After inspecting into his bank transactions, it was found that Li received over $ 1.1 million from fake product sales. The amount of money Li’s partners and associates in the US or China received is not clear.

As per reports, between July 2009 – February 2014, Jianhua ‘Jeff Li, through his company “Dream Digitals” with his accomplices Andreina Becerra, Roberto Volpe, Rosario LaMarca and others smuggled more than 40,000 electronic devices and accessories into the USA. The smuggled iPhone and iPads were transferred with labels and packaging with fake Apple trademarks. Li will be sentenced on May 30.

http://www.newsworldindia.in/business/43-year-old-chinese-national-guilty-of-selling-fake-apple-devices-us/287695/