Agency calls for collaboration to fight counterfeit products

THE PNG Customs Services wants to encourage more collaboration with the right holders in an effort to identify counterfeit products.
Commissioner Ray Paul said right holders were owners of goods and products suspected of being counterfeited.
“If they have not done so, these owners must come forward and register with the Customs intellectual property rights (IPR) section so that Customs officers at the border will be able to identify and stop the counterfeits of their product coming into the country,” he said.
Paul said the Customs IPR section looked after the rights of owners of trademarks, industrial designs and copyrights.
He urged all right holders who had not registered with Customs to contact the Customs IPR section on 312 7642 or email [email protected]
“We will do our part to provide information to the public and gauge their views on the matter,” he said.
“We plan to conduct more awareness on this issue through the mainstream and social media as well as to schools and the public to inform and educate the public on the effects and implications of using and consuming counterfeit products.
“We will also continue to train our front line officers to improve their capability to identify and detect counterfeit goods at the borders.”
Paul said PNG Customs also depended on the public to report any suspicious activities to Customs including counterfeit items that were already on the shelves or about to cross our borders. Reports can be made to Customs using the free call number: 709 19 000.
“We are not sleeping, as many people are suggesting on social media,” he said.
He said they have done a lot to improve systems and processes and the improvement was ongoing to counter the increase in trade and travel as well international crimes.