Trade in counterfeit products may be worth $1.7tn
The value of the global illicit trade in counterfeit and pirated goods could reach $1.7tn by 2015, going by the estimation of the Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy.
The BASCAP projected figure was made known by Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Dikko, in Abuja on Thursday during the anti-counterfeiting summit hosted by Hewlett Packard.
Citing the World Trade Mark Review publication entitled: ‘Anti-Counterfeiting 2014’, Dikko said over the past decade, illegal trade in counterfeiting and piracy had expanded to include virtually every product sector.
“These include equipment, chemicals, mobile phone batteries, spare parts and toys,” he said.
Dikko added that if counterfeiting and piracy of the products continued unchecked, “then, the global value for illicit trade in counterfeit and pirated goods may well push beyond $1.7tn by 2015.”
Represented by the Assistant Comptroller General, NCS, Mrs. Grace Adeyemo, Dikko also stated that counterfeiting and piracy affect the well-being of any economy in variety of ways.
According to him, they promote criminality as successful counterfeiters are often also the promoters of social negativities in view of their possession of enormous illegal wealth.
The Customs boss said, “Government is deprived of much-needed revenue since counterfeiters evade payment of necessary taxes and duties. Health development agenda of the government is also compromised and the innocent public is exposed to dangers through subscription to cheaper but dangerous items of food and medicament, etc.
“Legitimate businesses, whose brands are being counterfeited, are exposed to real threats, which can include closure and laying off of their workers. It is everybody’s guess here what loss of jobs could mean to an average Nigerian family with its extended family affiliation.”
Dikko called on countries across the globe to fight counterfeiting and piracy in order to protect their economies, and noted that collaboration of all relevant border agencies was needed for success in this endeavour.
He also argued that the NCS had been doing significantly well to promote the culture of intellectual property right consciousness.
Dikko said, “You will recall that in 2009, the Service organised a national stakeholders’ workshop on the ‘Menace of counterfeiting and piracy on the Nigerian economy’ in Lagos mainly to call attention to the importance of collaboration for success of border enforcement against illicit trade in intellectual property goods.
“Along with relevant national agencies, the NCS participated in the World Customs Organisation’s organised ‘Operations Vice Grips 2’ (2012) and ‘Operations Biyela’ (2013) at Apapa and TCIP, respectively, which recorded modest successes.”
Similarly, the Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, stated that if SON had the power to prosecute offenders, the market share of the counterfeiters would reduce largely.
Odumodu said the weak regulatory framework had subjected the agency to lots of litigation by groups who constituted themselves as trade groups but engage in adulteration of products.
“Although legislations to strengthen regulation are being improved on, we do not have prosecutorial powers today. We want to be able to prosecute; the extant laws only allow the police and the attorney-general of the state or the Federal Government to prosecute,” he added.
Odumodu had earlier said that over a million Nigerians working in the textile industry had lost their jobs since the year 2000 due to counterfeiting of textile materials.
He said that activities of product counterfeiters had led to accelerated closure of many manufacturing firms, while the surviving ones were merely dragging to stay afloat.
The BASCAP projected figure was made known by Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Dikko, in Abuja on Thursday during the anti-counterfeiting summit hosted by Hewlett Packard.
Citing the World Trade Mark Review publication entitled: ‘Anti-Counterfeiting 2014’, Dikko said over the past decade, illegal trade in counterfeiting and piracy had expanded to include virtually every product sector.
“These include equipment, chemicals, mobile phone batteries, spare parts and toys,” he said.
Dikko added that if counterfeiting and piracy of the products continued unchecked, “then, the global value for illicit trade in counterfeit and pirated goods may well push beyond $1.7tn by 2015.”
Represented by the Assistant Comptroller General, NCS, Mrs. Grace Adeyemo, Dikko also stated that counterfeiting and piracy affect the well-being of any economy in variety of ways.
According to him, they promote criminality as successful counterfeiters are often also the promoters of social negativities in view of their possession of enormous illegal wealth.
The Customs boss said, “Government is deprived of much-needed revenue since counterfeiters evade payment of necessary taxes and duties. Health development agenda of the government is also compromised and the innocent public is exposed to dangers through subscription to cheaper but dangerous items of food and medicament, etc.
“Legitimate businesses, whose brands are being counterfeited, are exposed to real threats, which can include closure and laying off of their workers. It is everybody’s guess here what loss of jobs could mean to an average Nigerian family with its extended family affiliation.”
Dikko called on countries across the globe to fight counterfeiting and piracy in order to protect their economies, and noted that collaboration of all relevant border agencies was needed for success in this endeavour.
He also argued that the NCS had been doing significantly well to promote the culture of intellectual property right consciousness.
Dikko said, “You will recall that in 2009, the Service organised a national stakeholders’ workshop on the ‘Menace of counterfeiting and piracy on the Nigerian economy’ in Lagos mainly to call attention to the importance of collaboration for success of border enforcement against illicit trade in intellectual property goods.
“Along with relevant national agencies, the NCS participated in the World Customs Organisation’s organised ‘Operations Vice Grips 2’ (2012) and ‘Operations Biyela’ (2013) at Apapa and TCIP, respectively, which recorded modest successes.”
Similarly, the Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, stated that if SON had the power to prosecute offenders, the market share of the counterfeiters would reduce largely.
Odumodu said the weak regulatory framework had subjected the agency to lots of litigation by groups who constituted themselves as trade groups but engage in adulteration of products.
“Although legislations to strengthen regulation are being improved on, we do not have prosecutorial powers today. We want to be able to prosecute; the extant laws only allow the police and the attorney-general of the state or the Federal Government to prosecute,” he added.
Odumodu had earlier said that over a million Nigerians working in the textile industry had lost their jobs since the year 2000 due to counterfeiting of textile materials.
He said that activities of product counterfeiters had led to accelerated closure of many manufacturing firms, while the surviving ones were merely dragging to stay afloat.
Trade in counterfeit products may be worth $1.7tn
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