Legislation
Stop, Thief!
We previously mentioned US House Resolution H.R. 32, otherwise known as the Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act. This time it's the Senate's turn. S. 1699: Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act passed in the Senate this week. The bill now goes on to be voted on in the House, and should have little problem passing.
The main thrust is twofold: First, to protect American industry against cheap overseas knockoffs (insert your overseas knockoff country of choice here), and second, to eliminate a source of revenue for organized crime and terrorist organizations.
Hobbyists have feared this would affect the production of legitimate reproduction parts, as the bill addresses the hobby specifically, saying "counterfeit automobile parts, including brake pads, cost the auto industry alone billions of dollars in lost sales each year." But co-sponsor Senator Patrick Leahy says that "The threat posed by counterfeiting is more than a matter of economics. Inferior products can threaten the safety of those who use them. When a driver taps a car's brake pedals there should be no uncertainty about whether the brake linings are made of compressed grass, sawdust, or cardboard."
The bill's primary sponsor, Senator Arlen Specter, says, "The Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act addresses a problem that has reached epidemic proportions as a result of a loophole in our criminal code: the trafficking in counterfeit labels.
Criminal law currently prohibits the trafficking in counterfeit trademarks "on or in connection with goods or services." However, it does not prohibit the trafficking in the counterfeit marks themselves. As such, there is nothing in current law to prohibit an individual from selling counterfeit labels bearing otherwise protected trademarks within the United States."
- By David B. Traver Adolphus