GEA launches campaign against counterfeits

THE Coalition Against Counterfeit and Illicit Trade (CACIT-Ghana), a grouping within the Ghana Employers Association (GEA), has launched a national campaign against counterfeits and piracy.
The campaign is aimed at creating awareness of the impact of counterfeits and pirated goods on health, the economy, job creation and national development.
It is also to increase consistency and effectiveness of Intellectual Property Protection (IPP) in Ghana and ensure the progressive and sustained elimination of counterfeits and pirated goods from the Ghanaian and West African markets.
The campaign, which starts from October 28 to December 3, this year, is on the theme: “Say No to Fake Goods, Insist on the Original” and comes with activities such as capacity building training workshops, essay/art and song writing competitions to expose officials of law enforcement agencies, students, brand owners and consumers to the importance of Intellectual Property (IP) protection as well as the dangers of counterfeits and pirated goods.
A statement signed by a member of CACIT-Ghana and President of the Institute of Packaging, Ghana, Mr Kofi Essuman, said the coalition had already held a training workshop on intellectual property protection, counterfeiting and piracy in Takoradi and Kumasi.
It said about 180 participants were from the Food and Drugs Board, the Ghana Standard Board, the Police, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
Others included brand owners, traders, consumers and students with a similar workshop scheduled for November 25, 2010, in Accra.
The statement said the campaign would eventually culminate in an awards ceremony and musical concert to be held on December 3, 2010, where winners of the essay/art and song writing competitions held for students of senior high schools would receive their awards.
The United States Department for Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Programme (CLDP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are supporting the programme.
The support is aimed at aiding the efforts of developing nations to create an enabling environment for increased trade and investment, private sector development and to strengthen intellectual property regimes.