"Hagel Introduces Bill to Stop Counterfeiting of U.S. Trademarks"

Yesterday's press release from Senator Hagel's office:

August 4th, 2006 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) yesterday introduced the “Stop Assistance to Counterfeiters Act” (S. 3800). The legislation requires that all non-government recipients of U.S. foreign assistance certify that they do not knowingly traffic in counterfeit trademarks and that they will respect U.S. intellectual property rights law. Representative Lee Terry (NE-02) has introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives. Counterfeiting remains a serious problem affecting U.S. companies. One Nebraska-based company, Gallup USA, has had their trademark continually counterfeited by organizations that have received U.S. foreign assistance.

“The United States government must be committed to spending U.S. taxpayer dollars in a manner that respects and protects intellectual property. It is outrageous that U.S. foreign assistance are being provided to individuals or organizations that engage in counterfeiting practices. This common sense bill will help U.S. companies, like Gallup, compete fairly to provide goods and services abroad,” Hagel said.

Under this legislation all non-government recipients of U.S. foreign assistance must certify that: they will not intentionally counterfeit protected trademarks; they will respect all legal intellectual property rulings; and they respect U.S. law regarding intellectual property. The bill requires the President of the United States to suspend U.S. foreign assistance if it is found that an entity violates a certification.