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150 domain names shut down in probe of counterfeit goods

MaggieD

MaggieD

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150 domain names shut down in probe of counterfeit goods - CNN.com

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. officials used Cyber Monday to announce court orders shutting down 150 domain names of commercial websites they say were selling "many millions" of dollars worth of counterfeit goods.
Sports jerseys and uniforms, DVDs, shoes and handbags, golf sets and exercise equipment were among the more popular purchases of "knock off" versions of name brand products, officials said.
Investigations show the majority of those engaged in defrauding rights-holding companies and consumers are from China, but the phony goods are also produced in other countries, according to top law enforcement officials. The officials say they conduct undercover purchases with the help of legitimate rights holders to confirm the goods are bogus...
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My question is why is the Attorney General investigating this issue? Since when does the U.S. government get involved in patent infringement/trademark violations? Imagine the money that was directed at this problem...
 
This is actually an appropriate exercise in protecting trademarks. Selling a product that pretends to be from another manufacturer is deceptive and shouldn't be legal. It protects customers just as much as it does the corporations. Knock-off goods are often of poorer quality and can even be dangerous. I like being able to buy tools from a company who builds high quality products and know that it actually came from them.
 
MaggieD said:
150 domain names shut down in probe of counterfeit goods - CNN.com

My question is why is the Attorney General investigating this issue? Since when does the U.S. government get involved in patent infringement/trademark violations? Imagine the money that was directed at this problem...
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Please take that "Undisclosed" tag off and just switch to Conservative. You act as if the government hasn't been putting "Stop Piracy" ads on DVDs for the better part of the last 15 years. Patent infringement is something the US Government has been involved in since cars were first invented.
 
Hatuey said:
Please take that "Undisclosed" tag off and just switch to Conservative. You act as if the government hasn't been putting "Stop Piracy" ads on DVDs for the better part of the last 15 years. Patent infringement is something the US Government has been involved in since cars were first invented.
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Trying reading the constitution: the U.S. government has been involved in patent infringement since the day it was formed.
 
rathi said:
Trying reading the constitution: the U.S. government has been involved in patent infringement since the day it was formed.
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And it is the basis for our strong economy. Countries like Russia and Egypt have recently tried to mimic our laws pertaining to legal ownership. There was an interview on it the other night. I will try to dig it up.
 
Blue_State said:
And it is the basis for our strong economy. Countries like Russia and Egypt have recently tried to mimic our laws pertaining to legal ownership. There was an interview on it the other night. I will try to dig it up.
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Hardly. A properly managed patent system is useful, but lets remember that most of humanities great inventions didn't require it. Russia has pretty much zero respect for IP law and only make token gestures to get U.S. bribes and influence. Our current patent system is so bad that it likely stifles more areas of technology than it helps. The constitution basis for patents is sound, but the current implementation is miserable. Not only is ridiculous nonsense like business method and software patents considered acceptable, but the bar for obviousness has been made so low that the vast majority of patents granted are utter garbage.
 
danarhea said:
Most of the knock off goods sites were created by companies located in China.
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Yeah, there are a few that sell NFL jerseys real cheap.
 
Then there are the car and plane parts knockoffs. Buy cheap brake parts and crash your car. Didn't they find fake Boeing parts fitted to several planes, including Air Force One? That's reason enough for the government to protect its citizens.
 
At least these ones were investigated. There's some laws being kicked around congress right now that basically reverse the situation into a "guilty until proven innocent" situation.
 
Deuce said:
At least these ones were investigated. There's some laws being kicked around congress right now that basically reverse the situation into a "guilty until proven innocent" situation.
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You mean SOPA, right? I can't believe anybody would support that law the way it is written now.
 
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