Global law enforcement leaders called Tuesday for urgent action to clamp down on the multi-billion-euro trade in counterfeit goods, warning of serious risks including abuse by terrorists.
Speaking at a first-ever global conference on fighting trade in goods ranging from fake baby milk to pirated music, the head of the crime-fighting body Interpol issued a stark warning to governments around the world.
"The potential danger to the public from counterfeit products being exploited by organized crime and some terrorists is too serious for governments and law enforcement to ignore," Ronald Noble said.
And he lamented that in some areas governments were not doing enough, apparently assuming that private firms should take the lead.
"I receive no pressure from governments to fight intellectual property crime," he said.
"There is a feeling among governments that the private sector has the resources," he added.
World Customs Organization (WCO) head Michel Danet warned that the impact of trade in fakes was widely underestimated.
"The general public often views these infractions as victimless crimes limited to luxury goods, a view which is sometimes also reflected among law enforcement authorities," he said.
"However, we all know that counterfeiting not only harms the economy and society but can also seriously affect consumers and even kill them. Action is urgent," he added.
The two men were speaking at the start of a two-day Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting, which estimated the value of such trade as 500 billion euros (US$600 billion) per year.
The conference was sponsored by the Global Business Leaders Alliance Against Counterfeiting, the International Trademark Association, the International Security Management Association and some member companies of the WCO IPR Strategic Group.
But the organizers say it is governments, and not only associations, which must cooperate more to fight fakes.
"If cooperation is the key, then clearly there will be no progress without global recognition of the problem. And this is what makes this first Global Congress ... so important," Danet said.
The dangers posed by counterfeit trade have been highlighted in recent weeks by a scandal in China over fake baby milk powder which has left at least 12 infants dead.
Last week Chinese officials revealed that 47 people had been arrested following the scandal, which has also left 229 babies suffering malnutrition after drinking the fake formula.
"The case is a further example of the severe problems posed by counterfeit goods that are currently flooding the Chinese market," said an official at the Brussels conference.
One of the most visible and widespread forms of counterfeiting is music piracy, which industry experts estimate earns organized crime gangs US$4.6 billion annually.
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