KARACHI: Directorate of IPR Enforcement has seized a consignment of counterfeit aerosol sprays after detailed deliberations on complaints received from stakeholders.
According to Director Aamir Rasheed Shaikh, his department received complaints regarding import of counterfeit products from local manufacturers, authorized distributors and various collectorates. He said as per law a bank guarantee of at least Rs0.5 million or 25 percent of the value of the allegedly infringing consignment was secured in all the cases.
Directorate of IPR Enforcement also had the authority to initiate suo moto proceedings to safeguard the interests and well being of consumers against counterfeit products.
M/s Reckitt Benckiser Pakistan filed an IPR enforcement application against a consignment of insecticide spray bearing trademark ‘Mortein’ imported by M/s M.A Corporation from Hong Kong currently in the course of processing by Appraisement East.
A joint examination of the said container was conducted by the representatives of Appraisement East and Directorate of IPR Enforcement, which found 25,560 cans (400ml each) of the allegedly infringing goods.
Samples of the goods were drawn from container and submitted to the Directorate. Scrutiny of the goods revealed Mortein duly figures in the recordation database (IPO Pakistan repository of trademarks) as a trademark allotted to the right-holder in NICE classification. The trade mark Mortein printed on the infringing goods is completely identical to that of the original, though the printing is inferior in addition to the artwork and tag line ‘powergard’ in the infringing goods.
A representative of M/s Reckitt Benckiser informed tag line of ‘powergard’ appearing on infringing goods had been discontinued since long and did not appear on original products anymore.
