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Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Create new brands, don’t copy, retailers told
A Cebu City councilor warned business establishment owners to clear their shelves of pirated goods even before the “Anti-Fake Goods” ordinance can be implemented.
A local business leader has also expressed his support for the new ordinance.
Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Robert Go said he is glad the council came up with the ordinance since it will promote good business practices.
Go said the ordinance is advantageous not only to the City Government but also to the business sector and the National Government as well.
“Getting rid of the illegal goods is a healthy way of doing business because these illegal retailers are not paying for the rights and the fees that the legitimate manufacturers are paying,” Go told Sun.Star Cebu.
For her part, Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera urged business establishment owners to stop selling counterfeit products or risk losing their business permits and their merchandise to the City.
Instead of selling pirated goods, the councilor said the retailers should just manufacture their own brands using their own designs.
Like the proponent of the ordinance, Pesquera also does not believe the revocation of the business permits or closure of errant establishments will affect the tax collection in the city.
“I don’t believe it will affect our revenue collection because if the retailers are not honest enough to do business legally and sell only the genuine items, then we cannot be too sure if they are declaring the exact amount of sales and are paying the correct amount of taxes,” she said.
Rights
Pesquera said the City is also mandated to protect the rights of legitimate traders and intellectual property rights holders.
The council approved last Wednesday Councilor Hilario Davide III’s proposed measure, which will help the government fight piracy.
The ordinance seeks to penalize and revoke the business permit of establishments selling counterfeit products. Owners of errant establishments may also face up to six months imprisonment or pay a fine of P2,000, or both.
Go said the ordinance will help the country fulfill its commitment to the World Trade Organization and the Asean Fair Trade Area in its fight against piracy.
“All these pirated products are illegal and we should not allow these illegal businesses to kill the legal ones,” Go said.
Go said that in China, where counterfeit luxury items abound, fake goods are no longer sold in most stores in compliance with the World Trade Organization and Asean Free Trade Area anti-piracy agreements.
The ordinance was already submitted to the mayor’s office for final approval. It will take effect two weeks after copies are published in local newspapers, if the mayor approves the law. (LCR)
(September 27, 2005 issue)
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