Canadian Chamber Of Commerce: Chambers Of Commerce

Counterfeit Goods Dept: “The Canadian and U.S. Chambers of Commerce are very concerned about the weak enforcement of intellectual property rights in Canada,” the groups say in their proposal to the Beyond the Border Working Group formed by the Harper government and Obama administration, according to Globe And Mail. Estimates of the scale of the counterfeit problem in Canada are in dispute, with critics saying it is overstated. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and other players, however, suggest it represents as much as $30-billion annually in terms of lost revenue and costs for the owners of intellectual property rights and in a joint submission, the Canadian Chamber of the Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are asking Ottawa to grant front-line customs officials the authority to search cross-border shipments and travellers for products that imitate brand-name goods or steal their copyrighted material. “Over the past several decades, the trafficking in counterfeit goods has grown exponentially – so much so that almost every developed country has adopted legislation making the importation of counterfeit and pirated goods an offence and has empowered customs officials with the ability to seize these goods.” As reported in the news.
@t globe and mail, customs officials