EUR 200 fine for persons in possession of counterfeit goods
Toys, cigarettes, medicines, clothing … Unanimously, the National Assembly today adopted at first reading a bill aimed at better combating counterfeiting, an "undervalued poison" that "finances highly organised mafia networks". This text, which is still uncertain because the parliamentary agenda is tight, gives concrete expression to the work of Members of Parliament Pierre-Yves Bournazel (Agir ensemble) and Christophe Blanchet (modem), members of the majority and authors of a report on the subject.
In particular, it proposes the establishment of a dedicated observatory within the National Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI) and the creation of a flat-rate fine of 200 euros for persons holding counterfeit products. The bill seeks to extend the practice of the "customs purchase cost" to falsified medicines, by having them purchased and checked by customs officers, if necessary with loan identities.?
A loss of €8 billion per year
The text also aims to strengthen the provisions in the face of the scale of sales of counterfeit products on the Internet. Christophe Blanchet calls for a "change of view" on counterfeiting, far from being limited to the luxury sector. "the first counterfeit product in France is children's games and toys. There is an urgent need to make our citizens aware of the danger they take for their children when they buy counterfeit goods on the Internet, "he insists.
In total, counterfeit goods represent a loss of revenue for the French State of €8 billion a year, according to the parliamentary report. It is also "a proposal for an appeal law so that we can go faster and further and that, in the framework of the French Presidency of the European Union [early 2022], France can raise this subject". More specifically on the "responsibility of platforms and social networks that allow too many counterfeit products to flourish," Pierre-Yves Bournazel stressed in the Chamber.
The Union of Manufacturers (Unifab), which brings together companies and professional associations involved in the fight against counterfeiting, welcomed the adoption of the law in a statement. "this adoption is a real victory for all holders of intellectual property rights, it demonstrates an unwavering political commitment to significantly protect creation and innovation, the symbol of our State's intellectual heritage," declared its President Christian Peugeot, quoted in the press release. "this favourable reception will, I hope, find the same echo during its consideration in the Senate very soon," he added.
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