Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act

STOP COUNTERFEITING IN MANUFACTURED GOODS ACT -- (House of Representatives - March 07, 2006)

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 32, the Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act.

The bill amends existing law in a matter designed to intensify the effort to prevent counterfeiting of goods. Counterfeited goods victimize the manufacturer and shortchange purchasers with substandard products. They also expose all of us to risks from unsafe products and deprive Americans of jobs and other benefits from commerce when the authentic goods are not sold.

The sale of counterfeit goods is illegal. This bill clarifies any ambiguity there may be in present law. Madam Speaker, when we began working on this bill on a bipartisan basis at the subcommittee level, there was a concern when drafted that the bill went too far and actually criminalizes current legitimate, time-honored practices by law-abiding merchants who legally purchased authentic goods and repackage them in various ways to enhance sales of such goods.

We forged an agreement which addressed this potential problem to the satisfaction of all those who had expressed concerns about it. So this bill addresses the problem of counterfeiting of manufactured goods in a manner that should now be considered non-controversial.

Accordingly, Madam Speaker, I support the bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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