CWT: U.S. SHOULD NOT HINDER ?PARALLEL? IMPORTS

CWT: U.S. SHOULD NOT HINDER ôPARALLELö IMPORTS    A consumer advocacy group has asked the U.S. Trade Representative negotiators not to refrain from banning “parallel” imports when negotiating free-trade agreements with Chile and Singapore.
   “The United States should not support trade agreements that attempt to enforce monopolistic private distribution arrangements,” said Robin Lanier, executive director of the Washington-based Consumers for World Trade. “CWT feels it is inappropriate and inconsistent with prior U.S. trade policy for the United States to support government enforcement of private agreements designed to limit competition within a market.”
   CWT defined parallel imports as “bona fide brand-name products manufactured by authorized producers.” They are imported into the United States “outside of restrictive distribution channels set up by manufacturers mostly for the purpose of keeping prices high … Parallel imports almost always represent a real bargain for consumers.”
   According to CWT, many products may be imported in this manner, such as jewelry, cameras, and fragrances.