India
In 2012 the BASCAP Steering Committee started an initiative in India by working with local associations to develop key intellectual property policy and enforcement recommendations for the government. As part of this initiative BASCAP also participates in IP-related events in the region including India's International IP Day and World Anti-Counterfeiting (WAC) Day.
BASCAP cooperates with member company representatives on the ground to support BASCAP member efforts in India, partners with the the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to influence the New National IP Policy Strategy by providing further input on the revised draft, and works with FICCI to build the FCM/IBR themes and log into FICCI awareness programs.
World Anti-Counterfeiting (WAC) Day
Bill Dobson, BASCAP Deputy Director, attended WAC Day on 13 June 2012 in Delhi, India. WAC Day is an initiative introduced by FICCI's Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE).The theme for 2012 was 'Developing a Pro-active Strategy to Curb Counterfeiting'. Mr Dobson walked the audience through proposed steps to help ward-off counterfeits.
Key Recommendations
Significant impacts of widespread counterfeiting and piracy in India were found in BASCAP/Access Partnerships' preliminary report entitled, "BASCAP working with India: Fighting Counterfeits and Improving the Trademark Environment". The report states that counterfeiting and piracy discourage FDI, limit local job growth, and lower tax collections for public coffers; they present serious health and safety risks for consumers and limit innovation. The report concluded that India's role as a global economic powerhouse is increasingly linked to its ability to ensure that intellectual property rights are protected with strong rules, and when there is an equally strong enforcement of laws and regulations.
The preliminary report lists four key recommendations for combating counterfeit products and protecting IPR in India.
- Prioritize and politicize enforcement of IPR through the National IP Policy
- Provide adequate political prioritization of economic crimes and provide resources for enforcement. Providing incentives and addressing resource challenges in the police and judiciary are key.
- Address the supply of counterfeit product, both at the domestic and import level. The situation being particularly problematic with China.
- Address demand for product by improving awareness of the issue. A significant hurdle to lowering counterfeit rates in India is public awareness.
As the initiative gains momentum, BASCAP will finalize an MOU with FICCI, which will include plans for launching a major BASCAP IP policy report on India, and possibly a major conference organized in partnership with the Indian government, following the Turkey and Russia models.