Washington, 02 October 2020 – TIC Council Americas, the Americas branch of the TIC Council, held this week the second of a 3-part virtual panel series exploring the scope of online fraud and sale of counterfeit products and the impact of these activities on industry, government, and consumers.
TIC Council is the global trade federation representing the independent third-party Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry which brings together more than 90-member companies and organizations from around. The counterfeiting of TICC member certification marks and test reports is a growing issue along with the increased sale of counterfeit goods and online fraud.
This week, the TIC Council welcomed panelists from government and industry as we explored “The Cost of Online Fraud and Counterfeits.”
· Dana Baiocco, Commissioner, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
· Kimberly Gianopoulos, Director in GAO’s International Affairs and Trade mission team, Government Accountability Office (GAO)
· Jill Notini, VP of Communications, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM)
In her presentation, Commissioner Baiocco (CPSC) highlighted for attendees the scope of the CPSC’s authority to take action against counterfeiters and work with Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and other agencies to work collaboratively. Kimberly Gianopoulos provided an overview of a GAO study performed in 2018 in which “20 of 47 items […] purchased from third party sellers across five popular consumer websites were [found to be] counterfeit, according to testing by rights holders.” Kimberly also reviewed recommendations made to the CBP regarding Intellectual Property Rights enforcement and informed attendees that a new report is expected to be released shortly which will include a review of approaches taken in the European Union in comparison with US efforts. In her closing presentation, Jill Notini provided a real-world case study of AHAM and other industry partners’ efforts to address counterfeit product in the home appliance space. Jill highlighted for attendees how water filters, something used in refrigerators and other home appliances, are being counterfeited and sold through online platforms. These filters, through testing performed by AHAM partners, were found to not meet safety standards and in some cases, introduced more harmful chemicals into the water, raising the risk to consumers.
A recording of the Panel 2 presentations and related slidedeck have been made available on the TIC Council website and can be found, respectively, here and here.
Register today - The third and final panel of the TIC Council 3-part Virtual Panel Series will welcome Customs and Border Protection and other regulators and stakeholders as they discuss the programs and efforts underway to slow the flow of counterfeit products crossing international borders and fraud being perpetrated online.
For additional information and to register to attend the series, visit the TIC Council website at https://www.tic-council.org/or reach out to Karin Athanas at kathanas@tic-council.org
TIC Council is the global trade federation representing the independent third-party Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry which brings together more than 90-member companies and organizations from around the world to speak with one voice. Its members provide services across a wide range of sectors: consumer products, medical devices, petroleum, mining and metals, food, and agriculture among others. Through provision of these services, TIC Council members assure that not only regulatory requirements are met, but also that reliability, economic value, and sustainability are enhanced. TIC Council’s members are present in more than 160 countries and employ more than 300,000 people across the globe.
Washington, 02 October 2020 – TIC Council Americas, the Americas branch of the TIC Council, held this week the second of a 3-part virtual panel series exploring the scope of online fraud and sale of counterfeit products and the impact of these activities on industry, government, and consumers.
TIC Council is the global trade federation representing the independent third-party Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry which brings together more than 90-member companies and organizations from around. The counterfeiting of TICC member certification marks and test reports is a growing issue along with the increased sale of counterfeit goods and online fraud.
This week, the TIC Council welcomed panelists from government and industry as we explored “The Cost of Online Fraud and Counterfeits.”
· Dana Baiocco, Commissioner, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
· Kimberly Gianopoulos, Director in GAO’s International Affairs and Trade mission team, Government Accountability Office (GAO)
· Jill Notini, VP of Communications, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM)
In her presentation, Commissioner Baiocco (CPSC) highlighted for attendees the scope of the CPSC’s authority to take action against counterfeiters and work with Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and other agencies to work collaboratively. Kimberly Gianopoulos provided an overview of a GAO study performed in 2018 in which “20 of 47 items […] purchased from third party sellers across five popular consumer websites were [found to be] counterfeit, according to testing by rights holders.” Kimberly also reviewed recommendations made to the CBP regarding Intellectual Property Rights enforcement and informed attendees that a new report is expected to be released shortly which will include a review of approaches taken in the European Union in comparison with US efforts. In her closing presentation, Jill Notini provided a real-world case study of AHAM and other industry partners’ efforts to address counterfeit product in the home appliance space. Jill highlighted for attendees how water filters, something used in refrigerators and other home appliances, are being counterfeited and sold through online platforms. These filters, through testing performed by AHAM partners, were found to not meet safety standards and in some cases, introduced more harmful chemicals into the water, raising the risk to consumers.
A recording of the Panel 2 presentations and related slidedeck have been made available on the TIC Council website and can be found, respectively, here and here.
Register today - The third and final panel of the TIC Council 3-part Virtual Panel Series will welcome Customs and Border Protection and other regulators and stakeholders as they discuss the programs and efforts underway to slow the flow of counterfeit products crossing international borders and fraud being perpetrated online.
For additional information and to register to attend the series, visit the TIC Council website at https://www.tic-council.org/or reach out to Karin Athanas at kathanas@tic-council.org
TIC Council is the global trade federation representing the independent third-party Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry which brings together more than 90-member companies and organizations from around the world to speak with one voice. Its members provide services across a wide range of sectors: consumer products, medical devices, petroleum, mining and metals, food, and agriculture among others. Through provision of these services, TIC Council members assure that not only regulatory requirements are met, but also that reliability, economic value, and sustainability are enhanced. TIC Council’s members are present in more than 160 countries and employ more than 300,000 people across the globe.