Transatlantic Economic Council - EU and US launch joint website against counterfeiting and piracy
ACCORDING to OECD studies international trade in counterfeit and pirated goods is estimated to be around $250 billion a year. With a view to encourage Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to break into foreign markets and avoid risks in terms of the violation of their intellectual property rights (IPR), the US and Europe are joining forces.
On the occasion of the Transatlantic Economic Council in Washington on December 17, 2010, a new website was launched, the TransAtlantic IPR Portal, offering guidance to enterprises in the EU and the US that wish to successfully do business in other countries. The portal is part of the mission to strengthen cooperation between the EU and the USA.
The goal of the joint website is to help EU and US companies fully utilize all the intellectual property rights (IPR) related resources and tools developed on both sides of the Atlantic. It will enable SMEs to protect their intangible assets - brands, trademarks and patents – before entering foreign markets and to take preventive action. It will offer advice, 'country toolkits' on IPR protection in more than 20 markets around the world and tailor-made guides for various sectors including textiles, leather, footwear, and furniture.
In Asia, an initiative to tackle intellectual property related issues was made by ASEAN by forming an association called the ASEAN Intellectual Property Association on December 1, 1996. This association was granted an official NGO status by the ASEAN secretariat in 1998. The primary objectives of ASEANIPA is to foster ties of mutual friendship, cooperation and understanding among those who are concerned with intellectual property in the ASEAN countries and, through such ties, to promote the development and protection of intellectual property in ASEAN member countries. India
While SAARC of which India is a member does not have any such mechanism at the regional level, in the year 2007 our country took a step in the right direction to fight intellectual property piracy menace by enacting ‘The Intellectual Property Rights (Imported Goods) Enforcement Rules, 2007' by making Indian Customs as the nodal agency to enforce these Rules, though the statutory power to enact these Rules by issuing a Customs Notification by the Government is doubtful.
It may be noted that CBEC also took an initiative in setting up a voluntary body called 'Centre for Customs, VAT & Trade Policy Research Society'. For more on this see our news capsule 'Break Free' is the Slogan; NGO on Customs & Trade set up'. Also see our The CobWeb column ‘Let's get obsessed with IPR to keep India competitive in years ahead' on India's challenges in the world of IPR.