More than 60 inspectors participated in the “International Seminar on Methods for Detecting Counterfeit Products and Border Challenges” held in Iquique by the National Customs Service and the International Trademark Association. The activity included presentations by experts in the prevention of illicit trade and criminal prosecution, as well as representatives of companies such as Adidas, Lego, BMW, Patagonia, GAP, Schaeffler and Conair Group.
Public private work
El Seremi of Finance of TarapacáClaudio Chamorro Olguín highlighted the public-private partnership to address an issue that not only affects brand owners such as companies, “but also harms our entire society, because counterfeiting is associated with other related crimes and also impacts the tariff rates that some countries may apply.”
El Regional Director of the Iquique Customs, Dennys Beltrand Santos, explained that Customs aims to protect the country and its borders, in order to prevent the entry or smuggling of illegal goods or those that do not comply with current regulations. “All this, in the context of foreign trade control to contribute to economic development and the protection of the country and its people. Counterfeit products, in addition to violating all kinds of regulations, are intended to deceive consumers and many of them can endanger their lives, as in the case of car parts.”
La Associate of the Latin American and Caribbean representative office of the International Trademark AssociationAgustina Davis Komlos explained that her group promotes the protection of brands and brings together 7.200 groups around the world with more than 32 professionals. “The main headquarters are in New York and since last year we have had an office in Santiago, which is why it is very important to participate in this seminar in Iquique. Customs is the main enforcement authority and we must highlight that the counterfeiting of products affects the country in terms of taxes and puts the health of consumers at risk.”
In turn, the Executive Secretary of the Illicit Trade Observatory (OCI), Nicole Kuppenheim, said that OCI “is an initiative of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism of Chile, which constantly fights against illegal street trading that negatively impacts our country at a social, economic and legal level.” In this context, “our role is to promote reflection on the problem of illegal trade, to highlight the associated risks and to generate actions to connect the public and private sectors. For this reason, we actively participate in this seminar and value the efforts made by Customs and the brands, due to the importance of training to face this problem.”
La Associate of the Latin American and Caribbean representative office of the International Trademark AssociationAgustina Davis Komlos explained that her group promotes the protection of brands and brings together 7.200 groups around the world with more than 32 professionals. “The main headquarters are in New York and since last year we have had an office in Santiago, which is why it is very important to participate in this seminar in Iquique. Customs is the main enforcement authority and we must highlight that the counterfeiting of products affects the country in terms of taxes and puts the health of consumers at risk.”
In turn, the Executive Secretary of the Illicit Trade Observatory (OCI), Nicole Kuppenheim, said that OCI “is an initiative of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism of Chile, which constantly fights against illegal street trading that negatively impacts our country at a social, economic and legal level.” In this context, “our role is to promote reflection on the problem of illegal trade, to highlight the associated risks and to generate actions to connect the public and private sectors. For this reason, we actively participate in this seminar and value the efforts made by Customs and the brands, due to the importance of training to face this problem.”
El Manager of Illicit Trade Prevention for Latin America and Canada at Phillip Morris, Juan Chichero, spoke about the impact of cigarette smuggling and counterfeiting, indicating that these illegal activities represent tax losses of between 40 and 50 billion dollars at a global level. He also pointed out that this type of phenomenon “is also used to finance other types of crimes such as drug trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking, money laundering and in some cases financing terrorist acts,” adding that free trade zones are especially attractive to criminal organizations due to tariff freedoms and large cargo flows. “In the case of Iquique, we believe that things are being done well and that the work carried out by Customs is very good. In fact, they have seized a significant number of illegal cigarettes equivalent to eight 40-foot containers, which is a very significant number for the global market.”
Counterfeit data in Chile
During 2017 The National Customs Service carried out 791 clearance suspensions throughout the country for intellectual property infringements. This resulted in the seizure of 8.724.263 products worth US$ 95 million. Of this total, 66 cases were in Iquique with 1.555.901 products worth US$ 15 million, being the third port with the most seizures after Valparaíso and San Antonio.
From January to June 2018, 292 interventions have been carried out throughout Chile with a total of 3.643.106 products worth USD$ 51 million, of which 779.389 products have been in Iquique with a value of USD$ 10 million.
Regarding the type of commodity, the one that registers the most counterfeiting is related to footwear, followed by toys and clothing.
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