Councils demand more cash to tackle intellectual property crime

8 August 2007

Local Government councillors and officers are calling for more funding to fight intellectual property crime. More than four out of five councillors and council officials say additional money must be made available to trading standards so they can properly exercise their new powers to tackle copyright theft.

Counterfeiting and piracy is not victimless and funds other serious criminal activity up and down the county such as drugs, hard core pornography, money laundering and people smuggling throughout the country. Delegates at the Local Government Association Conference were very clear about the impact on their communities:

• 77% of respondents agreed intellectual property crime was a serious or very serious offence.

• 79% of respondents were most concerned because hard working legitimate business was losing revenue in their area.

• 72% felt intellectual property crime created a recruiting ground for other serious crime in their community.  

The overwhelming majority of councillors said most fake goods in their areas were sold on stalls, such as car boot sales or marketplaces.

Susie Winter, Director General of the Alliance Against Intellectual Property Theft said:

“Intellectual Property Crime, such as selling counterfeit and pirated goods, has proven links to serious organised crime and blights communities up and down the country. Representatives from Councils up and down the country have sent a crystal clear message to Government – much more needs to be done to stop the trade in counterfeit goods and that means more resources.”

ENDS