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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO NATIONAL, RETAILING, AND TECHNOLOGY EDITORS:
French Customs Signs Agreement with International AntiCounterfeiting
Coalition (IACC)
PARIS, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This March, French
Customs (DNRED) and the IACC, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit
organization committed to combating trademark counterfeiting and
piracy, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that enhances
cooperation between the two organizations regarding the enforcement of
trademarks and copyrights.
This unprecedented agreement will improve the ability of French
authorities and the IACC to communicate, cooperate, and share
information and resources, as well as further efforts in combating
online counterfeit merchants via the IACC's RogueBlockT program.
With retail e-commerce sales rising steadily over the past decade, the
Internet provides an enticing platform for criminal merchants to sell
counterfeit goods. The IACC's RogueBlockT program uses a
"follow-the-money" approach and provides a system for brand owners to
report online sales of illegal counterfeit goods. By collaborating
with the world's largest international payment brands, the RogueBlockT
program works to choke off funding to counterfeit merchants.
"The French National Intelligence and Investigation Directorate
(DNRED) is heavily involved in the fight against counterfeit sales on
the Internet, through its specialized department 'Cyberdouane,' says
Director of DNRED, Jean-Paul Garcia. Facing a multiform threat that is
constantly evolving and leading to dramatic effects for the economy,
it is urgent to put an end to the feeling of impunity shown by
smugglers on the Internet. An operational collaboration between French
customs and the IACC will lead to a better efficiency as to disrupt
and stop the activities of cyber-smugglers, on a global scale. It is a
real chance to build very concrete and operational partnerships."
"IACC's partnership with French Customs demonstrates the significance
of the counterfeiting problem on an international scale, and we are
thrilled to join efforts on this issue," says IACC President, Bob
Barchiesi. "Sharing assets and expertise is key to mitigating these
insidious threats that put consumers at risk of receiving inferior and
oft-times dangerous products. To date, thousands of criminal merchant
accounts have been terminated through the IACC's RogueBlockT program."
How you can avoid purchasing fakes:
-- Price: If the price looks too good to be true, it probably is.
-- Packaging: If the product is being sold without its packaging, or
if the packaging appears to be of low quality or includes printing
errors (e.g., blurry pictures, grammatical and spelling errors, and
typos) it is probably counterfeit.
-- Place: Consider where the product is being sold. Ask yourself if
you would normally expect to find the product for sale in this
environment. Deal only with legitimate, established merchants. If the
professional-looking website includes poorly-written product
descriptions (e.g., poor grammar and typos) and incomplete contact
information, or has a no-returns or no-refunds policy, it is likely a
counterfeit merchant.
About the IACC: The IACC (www.iacc.org) is a Washington, D.C.-based
not-for-profit organization representing the interests of companies
concerned with trademark counterfeiting and copyright infringement.
The members of the IACC include many of the world's best-known brands
across all product sectors. The IACC is committed to working with
government and industry partners in the United States and abroad to
strengthen trademark and copyright protection, as well as by raising
awareness for the range of harms caused by counterfeiting and piracy.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140408/DC01075
SOURCE International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition
-0- 04/08/2014
/CONTACT: Mollie Markham, + 1 (202) 223-6667, Mmarkham@iacc.org
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140408/DC01075
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
/Web Site: http://www.iacc.org
CO: International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition
ST: District of Columbia France
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-- DC01075 --
0000 04/08/2014 20:10:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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