Trademark infringement In World Markets

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Trademark Infringement in World Markets

This case discusses the continual obstacles facing the movie industry today. There are numerous countries around the world that carry out various forms of trademark infringement. This quandary, causes billions of dollars in losses every year for the companies involved, therefor there have been varied attempts to put a stop to this rampant underworld of criminal activity.

Particularly, in Southeast Asia well-known global companies are frequently the victims of trademark violations and product counterfeiting. An example of this phenomenon is in South Korea, where they sell a chewing gum called JUICY FRESH, which has the same yellow wrapper, black lettering and package shape as Juicy Fruit made by Wrigley's. Other imitations in South Korea include TIE DETERGENT, bottled in orange containers that resemble TIDE, which is made by Procter & Gamble. Similar products are found in China where consumers can pick up a tube of "COLOGATE".

This issue extends far beyond consumer-packaged goods. Chrysler Corporation discovered SUV's on the streets of Beijing that are nearly identical to Jeep Cherokees. The garment and fashion industries have also been hit hard. Levi-Strauss has faced an uphill battle trying to stop counterfeit sales of its popular jeans in more than 30 countries. The problem is especially prevalent in Europe, where Levi's is a status symbol. The company cannot keep up with the demand, so the counterfeiters must take over the job. After a few washings, however, the fake jeans deteriorate quickly and the colors fade. Many of the counterfeits come from China where the cost of Production is much lower

per pair of jeans and they sell them to people who falsely claim to be Levi's representatives.

There are various explanations for why counterfeiting and piracy are so widespread the reasons are cultural. One US trade official noted...