§ Mr. Iain Millsasked the Minister for Trade how many complaints he has received relating to alleged manufacture of counterfeit goods, in particular cosmetics and consumer goods, within the United Kingdom.
§ Dr. VaughanWe have received complaints about the marketing of counterfeit goods both in this country and abroad but none that we can trace relating specifically to counterfeits manufactured in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Iain Millsasked the Minister for Trade if he will press for an agreement on counterfeiting in his negotiations with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade at the ministerial meeting in November 1982; and whether, if agreement can be secured between the main European Community countries, he will seek to implement that agreement, even if this is opposed by Third world countries.
§ Dr. VaughanThe opening for signature in GATT of an agreement on measures to discourage international trade in counterfeit merchandise would only be possible with the collective agreement of the contracting parties to the general agreement on tariffs and trade, which include many from the developing world. It would then be for each country to decide whether or not to adhere to it. With our Community partners and the United States, we are pressing the case for consideration of this problem at the GATT ministerial meeting in November 1982. An agreement between European Community countries only would not need to involve the GATT but would be of much less value since most counterfeiting problems originate elsewhere.