House Passes ‘Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act’
The House of Representatives yesterday passed the ‘Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act,’the bill which many aftermarket businesses and associations have been lobbying in support of. The “Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act” extends federal seizure authority to include not only the infringing product, but also the tooling, equipment and supplies used to produce and traffic counterfeit goods and criminalizes production of stickers, tags boxes or other items used to traffic fake products. The bill also expands the current definition of trafficking to include the import or export counterfeit goods and clearly specifies that it is illegal to give away counterfeit goods in exchange for some future benefit – in effect, the “bartering” of counterfeit goods. Networks of counterfeiters have used these loopholes to frustrate investigation and prosecution under current law.
ContiTech Joins The Fight Against Counterfeiting
The damage that can be caused to an automobile by a faked or counterfeit timing belt, v-belt or v-ribbed belt can be catastrophic, according to ContiTech.
Automotive Suppliers Applaud Queens County, NY, Counterfeiting Arrests
The recent arrest of a Queens County, NY, automotive parts wholesaler on trademark counterfeiting is being lauded by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). The case involves a wholesale parts dealer already under indictment for trademark counterfeiting.
Automotive Suppliers Welcome Passage of ‘Fight Product Counterfeiting’ Act
The “Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act,” S. 1699, which was passed by the U.S. Senate Nov. 10, is an important piece of legislation that will strengthen federal laws against product counterfeiting, according to the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA).
Senate Panel Approves Anti-Counterfeiting Bill
The Senate Judiciary Committee last week approved the Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act (S. 1699) last week. The bill would require the seizure and destruction of counterfeit labels, as well as the equipment used to make and package counterfeit goods. AAIA supported the measure.
Free Webinar to Discuss Ways to Address Counterfeiting at Tradeshows
The Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association’s (AASA) Brand Protection Council is offering suppliers a free Webinar from 2-3 p.m., Monday, Oct. 17 (EDT) on combating counterfeiting at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Association (AAPEX). The free Webinar, “Identifying and Taking Action against Counterfeiting and Other IPR Violations at AAPEX,” will be led by Marc Fleischaker, a partner with the law firm Arent Fox and one of AAPEX’s attorneys. The webinar will conclude with a question and answer session.
Automotive Suppliers Welcome Action By the Senate; Supports “Fight Product Counterfeiting” Act
The Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced S. 1699, the “Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act.” According to the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), this is an important piece of legislation that would strengthen federal laws against product counterfeiting.
Executive Interview: From Education to Enforcement: MEMA’s Brand Protection Council and its Role in the Fight Against Counterfeiting
It’s hardly been two years since MEMA first sent out feelers to its members, looking for any interest in forming a council to look more closely at issues relating to counterfeiting and intellectual property rights violations.Several members of the council took time to talk with aftermarketNews.com about their own experiences protecting their companies’ brands against IPR violations and counterfeiting.
Sen. Levin Aggressively Pushes MEMA Anti-Counterfeiting Initiative During Committee Hearing
On June 14, Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) questioned a panel of witnesses testifying on the Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) initiative in hearings before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia. Sen. Levin expressed concern over the government’s focus on intellectual property violations involving clothing and fashion items, with relatively little focus on more essential manufactured goods and products affecting public safety. He pointed out that there was not a single part on any automobile that isn’t presently being counterfeited in China.
Congress Passes STOP Anti-Counterfeiting Act
The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday unanimously passed H.R. 32, the “Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act.” The bill was introduced by Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.) at the beginning of the 109th Congress with the support of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) and its members who helped craft the legislation and garner support for the resolution. Attention now turns to the Senate Judiciary Committee to act.