Hatem, executive president of BKMEA, who attended the meeting, said, “So far, we have not received any complaint from our buyers that Bangladeshi companies are producing and exporting garments with copycat logos of famous brands. ”
Hatem said the US trade body had made allegations against some countries, including Bangladesh, last year. Bangladesh is the only country from the LDC bracket in the list.
Asked what the consequences could be for Bangladesh if the complaint is proved, Hatem said there could be three types of punishments. First, increased taxes on garments made in Bangladesh to be exported to the US market; Second, a quota imposed on Bangladeshi exports and finally, a ban on clothing made in Bangladesh, he said.
Hatam, however, sees little chance of Bangladesh facing such a penalty.
AAFA also felt that Bangladesh needed assistance in development and trade.
“Given that Bangladesh is a least developed country (LDC) by the United Nations, we understand that Bangladesh is permitted ‘international support measures in the areas of development assistance and trade’. But allowing Bangladesh to develop into a global counterfeiting source will make it difficult to undo the residual effects on a large scale,” said Steve Lamar, AAFA President and CEO.
“Working with the leadership in Bangladesh to address problems and build a foundation of best IP practices will drive sustainable growth for legitimate businesses with more jobs in the sector as companies see that the opportunities outweigh the risks of doing business in the country ”
Additional Commerce Secretary Hafizur Rahman said he sent a letter to USTR on February 13 and due to time constraints, he sought till February 28 to send the details.
In the letter, the government summarized laws on intellectual property, copyright and trade. “We are implementing the laws but have not been able to implement them completely as we are completely LDCs. We will do it gradually.