US customs launches anti-counterfeiting campaign
US customs and order protection (CBP) has launched a new campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers and negative impacts of purchasing counterfeit goods.
The campaign, “The truth behind counterfeits” was announced yesterday and will run throughout July at six of the busiest US international airports.
It’s designed to call international travellers’ attention to the impact of purchasing counterfeit goods, including the loss of US jobs and the support of criminal activity.
Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport; Chicago OHare International Airport; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; Los Angeles International Airport; New York John F. Kennedy International Airport; and Washington Dulles International Airport are the six airports named.
Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner for the office of trade at CBP, said: CBP is committed to protecting consumers and enforcing US trade laws, and this campaign will help raise awareness and educate the traveling public about the dangers of purchasing counterfeit goods.”
Counterfeit products pose criminal, financial, and consumer safety risks for the US and its citizens, according to CBP.
The fake goods may also create health and safety concerns for consumers, as they are “often made of inferior materials, manufactured under uncontrolled and unsanitary conditions and labeled with false information”, said the agency.
The US Chamber of Commerce welcomed the campaign.
David Hirschmann, president and CEO of the Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) at the Chamber of Commerce, said: Americas economy runs on authentic innovation. Criminals trafficking in illicit trade threaten America's prosperity and may jeopardise the health and safety of unwitting consumers.”
GIPC’s 2016 report, “Measuring the Magnitude of Global Counterfeiting”, highlighted data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmentthat showed that worldwide counterfeiting has grown at an exponential rate to its current value of $461 billion.
“That number is almost double previous estimates from 2008 and is more than double the value of the 2014 profits of the world’s top companies combined,” said a press release from the Chamber.
Digital ads will also be displayed on travel websites the physical ads in the airports.
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