The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

CRACKING down on smuggling and counterfeit goods will boost sales volumes for legitimate retailers, the Minister of Financial Services said yesterday.

Ryan Pinder added that under the Customs Management Act (CMA), officers can seize goods upon import and export t6hat they believe to be counterfeit.

He told attendees at a smuggling and counterfeit workshop yesterday that this was an extremely proactive measure.

“Similarly, the Trademarks Bill calls on Customs to assist in enforcement matters related to infringement and counterfeit goods,” Mr Pinder said.

“Article 63 indicates that rights holders may inform the Comptroller of Customs when he or she believes that a shipment of pirated goods are destined for the Bahamas, and can request that the shipment be treated as prohibited goods, which the First Schedule to the CMA allows for.

“It should also be noted that the gamut of intellectual property rights to be offered for protection in the Bahamas will expand to include the Geographical Indications (GIs) and new plant varieties.

“As a result, Customs officers will also have to be trained in these new areas to be able to detect infringement. We must continue to develop our human capacity in these new areas of enforcement and evolution of new product types and legal protections,” said Mr Pinder.

“Counterfeit goods do not simply include purses or electronics and, by extension, copyright infringements, but extends past intellectual property rights and has significant health and safety implications when considering the illegitimate trade in pharmaceuticals, tobacco and other products that are manufactured for consumption.

“Certainly, the new Customs Management Act, which was recently brought into force on July 1, offers a new suite of intellectual property legislation that will bring the IP regime of the Bahamas to may be one of the highest when you measure it against international best practices in the global economy and the global trade environment.”

Mr Pinder added that the Government was looking to recover more than $20 million in tax revenues lost to to tobacco smuggling annually.

“If you eliminate the counterfeiting that is going on that’s even more substantive, because the legitimate retailers would have more volume and sales because the counterfeit products are off the streets,” said Mr Pinder.

“The Government is committed to making the Bahamas an ever-increasingly attractive place to do business. The modernisation of Customs, coupled with other trade reforms such as strengthened intellectual property rights and the establishment of a Standards Bureau, for example, are the means to that end.

“These are all important elements of legislative and infrastructure reform to ensure the Bahamas is regarded as compliant with international best practices in trade and business.”