Tag Archives: counterfeiting

Violence in Egypt / 21st Century Challenges / Global Action on Counterfeits

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The United States urges security forces and protestors in Egypt to shun violence. In his State of the Union address, President Obama discussed how America can meet 21st century challenges. Watch mothers and daughters in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan share their dreams and aspirations. And U.S. officials vow to crack down on intellectual property infringements.

Protestors in Cairo, EgyptU.S. Calls for Calm in Egypt
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The United States is urging both security forces and protestors to shun violence as discontent over corruption, poverty, and government reductions in subsidies continues in Egypt. “As we monitor the situation in Egypt, we urge all parties to refrain from using violence, and expect the Egyptian authorities to respond to any protests peacefully,” says White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. At right, protestors take to the streets in Cairo.

Facing 21st Century Challenges
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In the annual State of the Union address, President Obama urged American lawmakers to support innovative research and educational opportunities as a means of maintaining U.S. economic competitiveness and ensuring its progress in the 21st century.

“Dreams for My Mother, Dreams for My Daughter”
Explore the videos and interviews in “Dreams for My Mother, Dreams for My Daughter,” a project by America.gov and the U.S. embassies in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in which pairs of mothers and daughters took turns interviewing each other about their dreams and aspirations.

Counterfeit watchesGlobal Action on Counterfeits
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U.S. officials vow to pursue broader international cooperation in the fight against intellectual property theft. More and more countries are recognizing the importance of stopping IP infringements, especially counterfeiting that puts public health at risk, like trafficking in bogus drugs. At right, counterfeit watches that were seized in Philadelphia.

Fakes Are Never in Fashion

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Actress Sharon Stone poses beside a poster of the first Russian edition of Harper’s Bazaar magazine.

Actress Sharon Stone poses beside a poster of the first Russian edition of Harper’s Bazaar magazine.

The fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar wants you to know that “fakes are never in fashion.” Valerie Salembier, the senior vice president and publisher of the publication, has emerged as a leading advocate against counterfeiting. And we hope her campaign continues … and keeps fashionistas and wannabe fashionistas aware that counterfeiting has its costs to us all.

Valerie took center stage at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s IP (intellectual property) event in Washington last month (http://www.uschamber.com/content/0905_8b.htm). Emerging from an audience of blue suits in her couture yellow jacket, she proclaimed that buying fakes is hardly harmless. She hit an experienced, been-there-done-that IP crowd from Europe and the United States with powerful news that luxury product companies are starting to do something to combat counterfeiting. Despite carnage to their industry, luxury product manufacturers have done little to fight the proliferation of fakes on city streets. Valerie brilliantly linked the counterfeiting of luxury products to problems in child labor, terrorism and human trafficking. She noted that it’s not just about ripping off high-end French and Italian manufacturers. It’s about honest consumers supporting a wretched, criminal business syndicate that derails economies and ruins lives. Counterfeits come from the underbelly of society, not resourceful creators or entrepreneurs. You can learn more about Harper’s efforts to counter counterfeiting at this Web site: www.fakesareneverinfashion.com.

Vive la Valerie!

Counterfeiting and Piracy Hurt Real People

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Effective public awareness campaigns about intellectual property rights have been few and far between. Policymakers know they must educate the general public about issues such as counterfeiting and illegal downloading. But how do you get this across to the masses? How do you tell them that buying a knock-off Gucci handbag to improve your perceived status or downloading 12 copies of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” for your dance club contributes to economic stagnation and maybe even organized crime?

“Communicating the Value of Intellectual Property” was the topic of a round-table discussion at the IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) Transatlantic Collaboration conference April 27 and April 28, 2009, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. I was glad to see the U.S. Chamber and its partners, including Eurochambres, dedicating time to this important topic.

So why is it that many public awareness campaigns have failed miserably? The reason, said the conference participants, is that the campaigns attempted to shame people who violated IPR rules. Public service announcements made people feel bad about themselves. This had a negative effect on consumers. They felt they were being unnecessarily berated by Big Industry. The big stick approach of “you are breaking the law and could go to jail if you pirate CDs or buy fakes” was just not credible and left the intended audience with sour feelings.

Part of the solution, said John Tarpey, the director of communications for the World Intellectual Property Organization, is to avoid making people feel bad, but to explain to them how counterfeiting and piracy can hurt real people. John believes the best campaigns show the damages to artists, innovators and technical staffers when their products are illegally reproduced. Once the public comprehends the actual cost to honest folks, it starts to think that buying this fake isn’t worth it if good people are losing their jobs.

Let’s explain to consumers how they fit into the big picture of piracy and counterfeiting and how a single illegal action does have its costs, John said. From my vantage point at the Creative and Innovative Economy Center, I totally agree.