Who we are

The Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network (CACN) is a coalition of individuals, companies, firms and associations that have united in the fight against product counterfeiting and copyright piracy in Canada and internationally. The originating members of CACN include broad-based organizations, such as the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), the Electro-Federation Canada, and the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association; companies from a range of industries; and law firms representing a host of intellectual property (IP) rights holders – Canadian and foreign – with significant businesses in Canada.

 

The key objectives of CACN are as follows:

 

  Lobby policy makers at the federal and provincial levels for legislative changes and increased resources

 

  Raise awareness of counterfeiting and piracy, and the negative impact on the economy and society, and

facilitate training of law enforcement and others by the private sector.

 

  Maintain and share information regarding counterfeit cases, developments and emerging trends with

law enforcement and the private sector; and develop and maintain ties with other organizations with

similar objectives in Canada and internationally.

 

Counterfeiting and piracy has become a huge, highly organized, global business. In 1998, the International Chamber of Commerce estimated that five to seven percent of world trade – worth US$450 billion – is in counterfeit and pirated goods. In 1996, the United States International Trade Commission estimated the losses to the U.S. economy alone to be US$200 billion.

 

While the economic impact on individuals, companies and governments in Canada has not been quantified, it is clear that over the past decade or so there has been an explosion in the volume and variety of counterfeit and pirated goods on the Canadian market. A decade ago, most fake goods available in Canada were t-shirts, novelty items and similar wares sold at flea markets or by itinerant street vendors. Today counterfeit and pirated products available in Canada include children’s toys (that do not meet Canadian safety standards); electrical products, such as power bars, extension cords and seasonal decorative lighting, often bearing phony CSA or UL certification labels; automobile and aircraft parts; pharmaceutical products; food and beverages, including alcoholic beverages; software, CDs and DVDs; and luxury goods of all kinds. Moreover, such products, many of which pose serious threats to consumer health and safety, are now routinely found in up-scale shopping malls and reputable retail chains. There is also growing evidence linking counterfeiting and piracy to organized crime and terrorism.

 

Inadequate legislation and insufficient resources are preventing efficient criminal or civil enforcement against IP theft in Canada. CACN is committed to working closely with the public sector to improve the legislative framework and other tools available to combat counterfeiting and piracy in Canada.