SEN. GRASSLEY: Legislation to Fight against Counterfeit Goods is a Slam Dunk

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I’d like to take a moment to update my colleagues on a bill I introduced in 2021 designed to fight counterfeits.

As we all know, counterfeits are a threat to the United States’ economic and national security interests.

Most counterfeits originate in China—one of our largest competitors.  

Counterfeits are dangerous to consumers.

And lastly, counterfeits rip-off American ingenuity and result in billions of dollars in losses.

This is why Congress must ensure the federal government arms its partners with the tools and resources they need to combat the bad guys who sell these fake goods.

My bill—S. 1159—does just that.

It was incorporated in the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021.

And, it gives U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) authority to share more information with the private sector on counterfeits identified at the border.  

It also gives CBP the authority to share information with other parties, like e-commerce companies and shipping carriers.

Sharing information creates a more secure trade ecosystem that keeps counterfeits out of the country.

This is good, commonsense policy.

Now, my colleagues may be asking themselves: Why is this needed now?

Well, CBP believes that the Trade Secrets Act keeps them from sharing certain types of information with the private sector.

This keeps American companies in the dark and prevents them from pursuing the bad guys who rip them off.

Indeed, companies have repeatedly told me that, if they just had more information from the federal government, they could keep more counterfeits out of the United States.

My bill removes this barrier and explicitly gives CBP the authority it needs to share information with the private sector.

Now, here is the icing on the cake.

Recently, CBP confirmed that my bill would “resolve [their] concerns [about violating the Trade Secrets Act] and would permit the sharing of [more] information” on counterfeits.

And a few weeks ago, CBO confirmed that my bill will cost absolutely nothing.

So, good government legislation that costs the taxpayer zero dollars?

This is what I like to call a slam dunk, and I hope my colleagues will join me in making sure it gets passed this Congress.

Author: The Iowa Standard