Foreign Companies Step Up Fight Against CounterfeitingTwenty more foreign companies recently joined the anti-counterfeiting alliance in China as the Chinese government imposed sterner punishment on brand name infringement.The Quality Brand Protection Committee (QBPC) under the China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment said in a news release today that the leading non-profit anti-counterfeiting coalition has welcomed such new comers as Kodak, Bosch, Siemens, Van Melle and Microsoft. "The organic growth of QBPC demonstrates the increasing concern of multinationals and their commitment to fight against counterfeiting," said Joseph Johnson, chairman of QBPC and president of Bestfoods China Operations. "We are ready to work cooperatively with (Chinese) government officials to put a stop to this illegal activity which hurts Chinese consumers, the Chinese economy and our businesses and our employees," he said. China has stepped up punishment of counterfeiting by amending the Product Quality Law in July. Taking effect on September 1, the amended law stipulates practical measures against local authorities who provide shelters for counterfeiting. Dow Corning, a U.S. silicon giant running a joint-venture plant in Shanghai, joined hands with local police in Guangdong Province in south China to raid a number of counterfeiting factories and trade companies in the province earlier this year. The leaders of the counterfeiting companies have been charged. With their counterfeit products, manufacturing equipment and raw materials confiscated and destroyed, the counterfeiters signed guarantees of not doing the illegal activity again and paid more than two million yuan to the victim Down Corning in compensation. |
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