The fight against smuggling and counterfeiting, a top priority

By Estudio Chaloupka

Given the need to create mechanisms that facilitate the work against IP crimes between the government and the private sector, on November 27, 2019, the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) of Argentina created the Federal Committee to Fight Smuggling and Trademark Counterfeiting.

“The fight against smuggling and associated illicit activities such as trademark counterfeiting is one of the priority central goals of the government, which assures its commitment to form instances of cooperation that allow different institutions to develop joint strategies aimed at eradicating these crimes”, said the INPI through Resolution 9/2019. The resolution adds that smuggling and counterfeiting should be understood as a phenomenon that degrades society and the population's quality of life, causing economic damage to industries and businesses that carry out their activities in a lawful manner, negatively affects tax collection, generates unemployment and increases risks in public safety and health.

The objectives of the new committee will be:

-To establish the appropriate procedures and mechanisms that improve the fight against illegal trade, manufacturing and cross-border transit of counterfeit goods and the smuggling of goods in general.
-To promote public awareness campaigns about the harmful effect caused by the consumption of counterfeited goods, both to the economy in general and to the safety or health of the consumer in particular.
-To promote educational programs that value the importance of legal commerce for a country.
-To propose training programs in government institutions.
-To propose the issuance of all the necessary rules that pursue these goals.