EU strengthens customs powers for IP violations
Targeting grey market parallel trade
The Eurpean Commission has proposed a new EU regulation which would boost powers wielded by EU customs officials against breaches of intellectual property rights, notably illegal grey market parallel trades. The legislation would allow customs to seize and destroy products likely to be sold outside their formal destination markets.
The same would apply to those sporting lookalike fake trademarks, copied trade names, mimicked topographies of semiconductor products, devices to circumvent technological IPR protections and products breaching non-agricultural geographical indications.