Washington – Senator Chuck Grassley, Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Trademark Caucus, led the Senate in passing a resolution designating July as National Anti-Counterfeiting Consumer Education and Awareness Month.  The resolution also recognizes the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Lanham Act which laid the foundation for modern trademark protection and to protect consumers from counterfeit products. 

“Trademark-related crimes are growing rapidly and the devastating effects are far-reaching. These crimes impact not only whole industries, but economies as well where experts estimate that losses could be in the billions for any given industry.  This is in addition to the health concerns with counterfeit products, and the financial boon that terrorists reap from selling imitation goods,” Grassley said.  “Increased education and awareness efforts are critical to helping to put a stop to counterfeit activity.”

In April, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to explore how hazardous counterfeit products – like medicines, electronics, automotive, and military parts – can harm consumers.

The hearing panel warned that consumers unknowingly purchase counterfeits. In fact, consumers often pay the same as they would for legitimate goods, but receive potentially unsafe products. For example, consumers are purchasing fake chargers that may explode or medicines that may be manufactured with dangerous or contaminated substances. These types of counterfeits can result in severe injuries, including death.  

In addition, the hearing panel discussed the exploitation by counterfeiters of e-commerce platforms with a business direct to consumer business model. Cyber-commerce, for-profit streaming, and ever-changing technologies have continued to present new challenges in combating counterfeiting activity. The panel discussed the changing tactics of counterfeiters, including small package delivery through the mail, which makes it difficult for law enforcement to go after these criminals.

The resolution was co-sponsored by Senator Chris Coons, of Delaware, who is a co-chair of the Congressional Trademark Caucus.  

 

 

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