Customs chief: Register brands

INTELLECTUAL property right (IPR) owners are urged to register their brands under the PNG Customs Services IPR and industry standards section.
Chief commissioner David Towe said this was to ensure that their information was kept with the IPR registry.
He said it would assist Customs “monitor and stop counterfeits of your brands or trademarks from being imported into the country”.
Recently, PNG Motors notified customers and suppliers that a number of Ford Ranger vehicles were being imported by other dealers apart from Niu Ford, which is the accredited authorised distributor of Ford brand vehicles in the country.
PNG Motors said the vehicles in question were imported from territories not authorised by the Ford Motor Corporation, therefore had affected warranty, supply of parts and service.
“You must come forward and register with our IPR section so that your information can be kept within our IPR recordation registry,” Towe said.
“The IPR recordation registry allows us to monitor imports and detain products that are not imported or approved by the registered right-holder.
“Customs cannot act on its own to monitor and enforce these private rights at the borders unless mandated through the Customs IPR recordation and enforcement system by right-holders.”
He said the IPR registry did not show any registration by the Ford Motor company or their accredited authorised distributor in PNG, Niuford.
He said IPRs were private properties thus rights to protect, monitor and enforce lay with the right-holders. Customs can only intervene and assist at the border through its IPR recordation and enforcement system.
“Customs would like to invite not only Ford but other well-known brands or IPR owners,” he said.
“If you believe your IP rights have been infringed or about to be infringed, come forward and register with us so that we can assist to monitor and stop counterfeits of your brands or trademarks from being imported into the country.”
Towe the unauthorised importation of Ford was referred to as parallel importation.
“Parallel imports are not illegal goods as counterfeits, fakes or knock offs. They are in fact genuine goods manufactured under license but imported by unofficial dealers into countries designated for the official distributor or dealership.”