RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Several leading international automotive parts supplier associations have issued a statement of cooperation to join together to combat the counterfeiting and intellectual property rights (IPR) violations in the global automotive industry.

Representatives of CLEPA, the European association of automotive suppliers; the Japan Auto Parts Industries Association (JAPIA); and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), which represents North American motor vehicle parts suppliers, recently met to discuss the issue of counterfeiting and IPR and issued the following statement:

“Recognizing the value of and respect for intellectual property rights, the three associations – CLEPA, JAPIA, and MEMA – have joined together to make a statement and to take a unified position to further the effort to eliminate counterfeiting and violations of intellectual property rights. Counterfeiting of products worldwide is a multi-billion dollar cost. The incidence of automotive parts counterfeiting is growing and is costing legitimate parts manufacturers billions of dollars annually. Not only is the economic impact significant, but counterfeited low-quality parts are a danger and can cause accidents and deaths. Given the risk that low-quality counterfeit automotive parts and products pose to public health and safety, we acknowledge that all counterfeiting activities must be firmly challenged globally.

“Respect for intellectual property rights not only protects the interest of the rights holders, but also serves to uphold the development of new and better products and protects the public from inferior and unsafe products. As one step in the process of stemming the tide of counterfeit parts and IPR violations, we agree to jointly adopt guidelines for use by trade show organizers to set in place strong rules against counterfeiting and encourage their disciplined, consistent enforcement of rules against counterfeiting. We also plan to work together to approach trade show organizers, law enforcement officials, customers and customer organizations, sponsors, and the news media to raise the awareness of IPR violations and to seek their support in these efforts.

“The three associations will work to create an anti-counterfeiting exhibit, and encourage other automotive trade associations to also participate in this exhibit at trade shows around the world. This will serve to draw attention to the importance of knowing the source of the products to the consuming public. This activity has been effective at reducing counterfeit product displays and IPR violations at trade shows where it has been done in the past.

“The importance of this to the public and to the parts manufacturing community can not be overstated. Working together the international parts supplier community intends to address this issue and reduce the amount of IPR violations.”