U.S. Anti-Counterfeiting Act Becomes Law

U.S. President George Bush has signed the “Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act” into law.
The move marks the culmination of extensive efforts by a number of industry groups.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.) at the beginning of the 109th Congress. It passed in the House on March 7 and the Senate on Feb. 15.
“One of the problems we have is that people feel comfortable, at times, in trying to take a shortcut to success in the business world,” Bush said prior to signing the bill into law. “They feel like they can copy existing products, instead of designing their own. In order to keep this economy innovative and entrepreneurial, it’s important for us to enforce law, and if the laws are weak, pass new laws, to make sure that the problem of counterfeiting, which has been growing rapidly, is arrested, is held in check.”