Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) inititative.

To learn more about this initative, please visit http://www.stopfakes.gov

Progress in Intellectual Property Protection

Owners of intellectual property rights must exercise “zero-tolerance” to illegal products coming through the borders.

A call to the owners of intellectual property rights in Chile to make use of their rights and act energetically when notified of the detection of suspected goods was recently made by Estudio Federico Villaseca – abogados (Estudio Federico Villaseca - Attorneys at Law).

The firm expressed its support to the measures implemented by Customs authorities throughout Chilean ports, and informed that Customs agents regret that the tools to apply the present regulations are not being pursued to their full potential.  The border authorities possess the legal faculties to retain in customs all suspicious goods, before the products make their way into formal or informal trade in Chile and its neighboring countries.

According to customs officials, the owners of intellectual property rights make an erroneous calculation not deciding to act energetically every time they are notified of the detection of suspect merchandise, and only act when the amounts are commercially significant.

Estudio Federico Villaseca underlines that the offenders see this situation as a sort of impunity, so that those who carry out this illegal activity come in the country with small batches of the counterfeited product, even if repeatedly, believing they will not be prosecuted, and will continue developing this illicit trade.

In this regard, the law firm called for the adoption of a “zero-tolerance” policy when dealing with these crimes, and for support of the surveillance labor carried out by customs authorities, to deliver a strong sign towards the prosecution of all acts of piracy and counterfeited products.