Trade in Counterfeit Medical and Protective Health Goods Spiking During Pandemic
During the pandemic, government and industry should use data to prevent illicit medical products or counterfeit goods, starting in the country of origin.
Tim Trainer was an attorney-advisor at the U.S. Customs Service and U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. He is a past president of the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition. Tim is now the principal at Global Intellectual Property Strategy Center, P.C., and Galaxy Systems, Inc.
During the pandemic, government and industry should use data to prevent illicit medical products or counterfeit goods, starting in the country of origin.
USTR’s annual Special 301 and Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy reports on the state of intellectual property rights around the world is a valuable tool for American companies.
The Administration and Congress are fighting online trade in fake goods such as fake COVID-19 test kits and vaccines and other counterfeit products.
Special 301 rules direct the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to identify foreign countries that don’t do enough to protect intellectual property rights. Involvement from the private sector is also critical to prevent intellectual property theft.
Most good ideas require intellectual property (IP) protection if they are to play a key role in driving customer sales. As consumers, we interact with IP thousands of times every day with little to no conscious thought when we text on our cell phones, slip a sleeve onto our hot coffee cups, notice the style of cars passing on our commute, or walk down the aisle of a grocery store.