Customs working against illicit goods trade
Written by Mya Quamie on October 29, 2024
In 47 separate incidents, the Customs and Excise Division seized counterfeit goods from retailers between December 2023 and July 2024.
Trudy Lewis, deputy permanent secretary at the office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs (AGLA), announced this on October 28 at a sub-regional seminar on intellectual property (IP) enforcement of IP prosecutors, customs officers and police investigators.
The seminar at Customs House, Port of Spain, focused on the importance of IP law enforcement and the dangers of IP crime.
Lewis said out of the 47 seizure actions, more than half have been settled in court.
“Twenty-six were settled; those that were not settled have moved to litigation and are either pending or determined.
“These statistics reinforce the integral rule that our IP enforcement bodies play.”
Lewis also spoke about IP enforcement measures in 2021 that resulted in the seizure and destruction of over 16,000 counterfeit items.
“There have been quite a number of seizure actions conducted by the Customs and Excise Division primarily in the retail sector; these have led to the destruction of approximately over 16,600 counterfeit items over the period. These actions have also resulted in a number of ongoing trademark infringement matters, currently before the courts.”
In July, the TT Intellectual Property Office (TTIPO) head Regan Asgarali, SC, attended a meeting in Geneva where the implementation of systems to combat IP crime was discussed.
Lewis said, “This seminar is the prolific result of the controller of the TTIPO’s attendance at the 65th series of meetings of the assemblies of the member states of WIPO, which was held in Geneva. He met with stakeholders to discuss training activities for our enforcement bodies in the fight against IP crime.
“Among other things, their discussions centred on the development of the Customs Recordation and Information System (CRIS) through the industrial property administration system.”
World International Property Office (WIPO) representative Todd Reves said the CRIS, which is still in development, will be provided to all interested member states free of charge. The system will allow right holders, such as clothing brands, to record their registered IP rights in a given jurisdiction.
This will help customs officers to more effectively and efficiently examine, detain, seize and ultimately destroy IP-infringing goods entering the country, Lewis said.
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