Newsmaker: Federal Law Enforcement, Industry Experts Call for Heightened Awareness, Increased Collaboration to Combat Counterfeit Products

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Jun 16, 2011, 11:18 ET

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Press Club Newsmakers Committee will host a Newsmaker forum on the growing threat counterfeit products pose to public health and safety, as well as the U.S. economy, in the club's Zenger Room at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 23, in the National Press Building, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.

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The panel will feature experts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Eaton Corp. and Pfizer Inc., and explore how government and industry can collaborate to combat this critical problem. Speakers will include Bill Ross of DHS, who heads the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Ross will be joined by industry experts Patrick Ford of Pfizer Inc. and Tom Grace and Kevin McLean of Eaton Corp. Grace manages Eaton's Anti-Counterfeiting and Brand Protection, while McLean is senior vice president of Global Marketing in the Electrical Sector.

According to DHS, U.S. Customs officials in 2009 confiscated nearly $261 million worth of counterfeit products in almost 15,000 seizures. June is National Safety Month, and the panel discussion will focus on specific threats posed by counterfeit pharmaceuticals and electrical products, which DHS classifies as "safety and security items." Safety and security items accounted for $32.4 million, or 13 percent, of the dollar value of DHS-seized property in that category.

SOURCE National Press Club