[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 134 (Thursday, August 10, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12209-S12210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      ANTICOUNTERFEITING CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT OF 1995--S. 1136

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join Chairman Hatch as an 
original cosponsor of the ``Anticounterfeiting Consumer Protection Act 
of 1995.'' We are seeking to give law enforcement additional tools to 
combat counterfeiting crimes that cost our Nation's companies billions 
of dollars each year.
  Increasingly, we suspect that the lost revenue to legitimate U.S. 
companies is going into the pockets of international crime syndicates 
and organized criminals, who manufacture, import and distribute 
counterfeited goods 

[[Page S 12210]]
to fund their criminal enterprises. No enterprise is safe from 
counterfeiters.
  We are a nation of innovators. We lead the world when it comes to 
intellectual property and high technology. Our companies trademarks 
indicate quality around the world. Domestic and international 
counterfeiters are ripping off these companies, picking their pockets, 
and defrauding the consuming public.
  Vermont, with one of the lowest violent crime rates in the Nation, is 
home to businesses that benefit from a strong work ethic and dedication 
to quality. That is part of the reason that Vermont products are 
trusted and respected across the nation and around the world.
  Vermont maple syrup producers comply with stringent standards so that 
syrup lovers around the world are not disappointed. They have to be 
constantly vigilant against counterfeiters who use the Vermont label to 
get a free ride on the reputation for excellence syrup from my State 
enjoys.
  Burton Snowboards of Burlington faces the same problem. This company 
is the world leader in making snowboard equipment, but loses an 
estimated $1 million annually to copycat boots made in Korea.
  The IBM facility in Essex Junction makes 16 and 64 megabyte memory 
chips, known as DRAM [dynamic random access memory chips]. These memory 
chips, which can be used in medical equipment and computers, are 
likewise the subject of counterfeiting.
  This bill takes important steps to address the problem of 
counterfeiting in several ways. It seeks to expand our existing 
racketeering law to cover crimes involving counterfeiting and copyright 
infringement and to give our law enforcement officers additional, 
needed authority to seize counterfeit merchandise and impose fines on 
counterfeiters. As a former prosecutor, I know that penalties and 
punishment can deter crime and this bill moves in the right direction.
  We must make our laws more effective in combatting counterfeiting 
crimes here at home and also confront the international nature of the 
problem. Copycat goods with the labels of legitimate, American 
companies are manufactured, distributed and sold in foreign cities 
around the globe. We should insist that our trading partners take 
action against all kinds of intellectual property violations: Whether 
counterfeiting or copyright piracy, it amounts to theft and fraud on 
the consuming public. We cannot tolerate our trading partners and 
international allies acting as safe havens for pirates.
  Trademark counterfeiting is not a joke. It costs in jobs, tax 
revenue, markets, and credibility. Many products being counterfeited 
can lead to health and safety hazards and even cost lives.
  I look forward to our proceeding with prompt hearing on this 
important measure and to its early consideration and passage.


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