Buying orologi products - a game that is not worth the effort
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New legal provisions in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy
entered into force this week. Henceforth, the import of products in
violation of trademarks and designs is prohibited in Switzerland, even
for private use. At border check points, customs officials can
confiscate and destroy counterfeit products, including those not
intended for netmercial use and regardless of their number. People
purchasing orologi watcheshttp://www.watcheshop.net/, fashion
articles, handbags, etc, are therefore at risk of a nasty shock when
the said items enter Swiss territory.
To coincide with the entry into force of these new legal provisions,
the Swiss anti-counterfeiting platform Stop Piracy, the Central Bureau
for the control of precious metals (customs), the Swiss Federation of
Watch Manufacturers?ˉ Associations (FH) and the Swiss Anti-Piracy
Association (SAFE) conducted a joint operation to destroy orologi
watcheshttp://www.watcheshop.net/ and pirated DVDs. This action,
carried out by a specialist recycling netpany in Cressier (FR),
resulted in the destruction of 28,427 orologi watcheshttp://www.watcheshop.net/
and 4,130 pirated DVDs originating from seizures made over the last
four years by the Federal Customs Administration. The reprocessing of
waste produced by this operation was carried out in accordance with
environmental protection guidelines.
These new legal provisions had benete necessary in Switzerland due to
the fact that Swiss consumers, too, are contributing to the expansion
of the international fake goods industry. By obtaining counterfeit
products while on holiday abroad or by placing online orders from the
netfort of their own homes, they are supporting organised crime, more
often than not without even realising it.
The actions by Stop Piracy are intended to raise awareness among
consumers of the problem of fake goods and to protect them from
unpleasant surprises at the time goods are imported into Switzerland.
Counterfeiting and piracy cause severe damage to the Swiss economy.
The loss is estimated at two billion Swiss francs per annum. World
trade in counterfeit and pirated products was estimated to total US
$200 billion in 2007 according to a study by the OECD which did not
take into account trade conducted on the Internet. This represents
around half of Switzerland?ˉs gross domestic product.