Counterfeiting tops agenda

President Bush meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House today and U.S. automakers and auto suppliers are looking for a little statesmanlike pressure on the counterfeiting of auto parts in China, many of which find their way into popular American vehicles.
Some estimates from the industry, have pegged the counterfeit parts business as a $12 billion problem worldwide, with at least $3 billion in fake parts sold within the United States.
In an article in The Detroit News, The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association a trade group representing suppliers, was cited as saying Chinese companies are responsible for 80 percent of fake auto parts in the United States.
However, the problem is not simply an American one, as the article went on to discuss other issues, such as last September’s seizure of 500,000 counterfeit GM spark plugs in Dubai, where many believe that as many as 20 per cent of spare parts in the Middle East are counterfeit.
A separate study in India, suggested that 37 per cent of aftermarket parts in India were knockoffs.
U.S. lawmakers are urging China to honour intellectual property rights, and have recently signed the Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act, which sharply stiffened penalties for dealing in phony trademarked goods.