ITA Ensures the Recall of Counterfeit Sporting Goods in Egypt
June 21, 2013
(ITA)
The Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) helped
Nike, an Oregon-based consumer goods firm, overcome a high-profile intellectual
property issue that risked damaging the company’s market share in Egypt and its
international brand.
Why it matters
Intellectual property contributes significantly to the US economy and is
important to many industries, including footwear and apparel. The outcome in
this case – the Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) recalled the counterfeit
sporting goods and allowed Nike to provide genuine products to Egyptian athletes
– helped draw public attention to the importance of respecting U.S. intellectual
property rights.
The problem
The Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) published a tender for the supply of
“sports outfits” for the Egyptian delegation travelling to the 2012 London
summer Olympics. The EOC awarded the contact to an unauthorized distributor,
which provided the athletes with counterfeit uniform kits. Nike’s authorized
distributor in Egypt, Allied Trading and Consultancy, approached the EOC on
several occasions about replacing the counterfeit uniforms with the legitimate
product, but failed to receive a response from the EOC.
The solution
ITA and U.S. embassies in Brussels, Cairo and London engaged with Nike, the
Government of Egypt and its embassies in Washington, D.C., and London. This
multi-channel engagement supported Nike's efforts and resulted in the EOC’s
acceptance of genuine Nike goods for the Egyptian athletes competing in the
London 2012 Summer Olympics. In addition, the Government of Egypt indicated it
will open an investigation into the EOC procurement practices.
Working closely with U.S. companies, ITA creates, expands, and defends market
access for U.S. goods and services overseas through the Trade Agreements
Compliance Program. “We promote policy that develops a more favorable business
climate for U.S. companies in global markets; we employ commercial diplomacy to
resolve trade barriers; and we leverage our bilateral and multilateral trade
agreements to ensure our trading partners live up to their commitments so that
our businesses can compete on a level playing-field.” - Assistant Secretary for
Market Access and Compliance, Michael C. Camuńez.
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