Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals for further regulation to tackle online (a) platforms and (b) retail sites that allow the sale of counterfeit and substandard electrical goods.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government believes the existing legislative framework is robust and enables the appropriate action to be taken against online platforms and retail sites that allow sales of counterfeit and substandard electrical goods.
The UK was ranked 3rd in the world for its overall IP system by Taylor Wessing in their latest Global IP Index (GIPI) in 2016.
The UK’s IP enforcement regime specifically was ranked 2nd in the world in the US Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) IP Index 2018.
The UK is regularly ranked among the top couple of countries in the world for IP protection. Online platforms that fall under UK law have clearly defined responsibilities to take down listings for illegal goods once notified, and the leading platforms have been proactive in developing systems to assist IP rights holders to request takedowns effectively. Examples include the eBay VeRO system, the Amazon Brand Registry, and Ali Baba’s AliProtect.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he made of the cost to the UK economy of the sale of counterfeit and substandard electrical products.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government does not hold data estimating the cost to the economy of counterfeit or substandard electrical products.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Safety at Ports and Borders to prevent counterfeit electrical goods from entering the UK (a) currently and (b) after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
This is done independently by National Trading Standards, and is publicly available here: https://www.nationaltradingstandards.uk/uploads/annual%20report%202017-18%20final.pdf
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with online platforms on preventing sales of counterfeit and substandard electrical goods on their websites.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
BEIS officials are currently holding roundtable meetings with representatives from online platforms in an effort to identify and agree voluntary measures to reduce the availability of IP infringing goods on their platforms.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing additional funding to Safety at Ports and Borders to prevent counterfeit and substandard electrical goods from being imported.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is providing increased support for local authority led teams at ports and borders, including the National Trading Standards Safety at Ports project. This aims to improve the capacity and capability of local Trading Standards conducting checks on goods entering the country.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an estimate of the (a) number of fulfilment houses that are operating in the United Kingdom that are selling counterfeit and substandard electrical goods and (b) cost to the UK economy of such fulfilment houses.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Electrical goods must meet essential safety requirements before they can be placed on the UK market, whoever has done so.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards is improving its intelligence gathering and sharing on fulfilment houses and is working closely with partners to support operational activity targeting and addressing any non-compliances identified.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods on online platforms.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Government takes the issue of product safety, consumer protection and IP infringement, including the sale of counterfeit goods seriously, and is working with industry and law enforcement agencies on several initiatives to tackle this issue. This includes meetings with representatives from online platforms online retailers, as well as campaigns to raise public awareness and build respect for intellectual property.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) number of counterfeit electrical goods being imported into the UK and (b) the cost to the UK economy of such goods.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Government does not have a central data depository estimating the number of counterfeit electrical goods being imported to the UK nor does it centrally hold data estimating the cost to the economy of counterfeit electrical goods.
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Intelligence Hub collects and assesses intelligence in relation to counterfeit and unsafe goods. The IPO work closely with their partner intelligence hub at the Office of Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) to identify links between counterfeit and unsafe products, but neither facility collects data on quantity of counterfeit goods.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the import of counterfeit goods into the UK.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The challenges faced by the UK in managing the importation of counterfeit goods are significant. The UK Intellectual Property Office works very closely with other government agencies such as HMRC and Border Force to identify, and make use of, the most effective opportunities for intervention. The role of industry and rights holders in supporting this work is also a key part of the government strategy in this area.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the introduction of a quality mark for online sellers of electrical goods.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Products sold in the UK must comply with the relevant applicable legislation, including safety legislation. Safety rules apply whether good is sold on the high street or online. Enforcing authorities can take action where the law is not complied with. Electrical products sold on the UK market are required to have a CE marking to demonstrate that they meet all the relevant legislation, including safety rules. Consumers have protection and right to redress if a product is faulty or unsafe. Quality marks which go beyond legal compliance are a matter for industry.