The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has asked for more cooperation in the global fight against counterfeit goods. In a position paper, it condemned the ‘growing problem of goods that infringe Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)’, and has called for customs authorities to ‘bring together rights holders, service providers, and regulators for a working dialogue’.
TIACA said that goods that infringe IPR account for an increasing proportion of international trade – which, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is estimated at upwards of $250billion.
“The industry’s cooperation with law enforcement agencies contributes to the increase in seizures by government agencies,” said Doug Brittin, secretary general, TIACA. “However, each party needs to acknowledge its role and limitations.
“Air cargo industry members are not law enforcement agencies, and our role is necessarily limited by this reality.
“Any potential liability for air cargo industry members should be limited to instances where air cargo operators have actual knowledge of receiving or handling IPR infringing goods and have failed to take action based on that knowledge.”
