Semiconductor nations get real on counterfeit fight

Semiconductor nations get real on counterfeit fight    On Tuesday, staff from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Commerce Department and Customs and Border Protection concluded the first-ever meeting with customs authorities from all six major semiconductor producing economies to discuss the problems posed by trade in counterfeit semiconductor products.
   The meeting, which took place in Jeju, South Korea, included officials from China, Taiwan, the European Union, Japan, South Korea and the United States, and was held ahead of the annual Governments/Authorities Meeting on Semiconductors (GAMS).
   Members of GAMS, which was founded in 1999, meet with the World Semiconductor Council (WSC), a world body for semiconductor industry associations, to address topics of importance for the global semiconductor industry in areas such as trade, environment, intellectual property and regulatory requirements.
   The six nations discussed the implications of counterfeiting on the worldwide semiconductor industry, a market valued at about $250 billion in 2008.
   'Counterfeiting of semiconductors poses an increasing threat, not only in economic terms for the companies whose products are counterfeited, but also to the operation of critical technologies,' a statement from the USTR said. 'Semiconductors are increasingly a core technology used in products ranging from mobile phones and car-braking systems to medical devices and satellites.'
   During the 2008 GAMS meeting in Lisbon, officials agreed to convene a meeting of all customs experts in order to step up worldwide efforts against the spread of counterfeit semiconductors. Officials from the six nations shared their experiences and best practices in the fight against counterfeit semiconductors, from both import and export customs control perspectives, and presented options for enforcement actions between GAMS members and increasing cooperation between members and industry, the USTR said.
   'All participants underlined the importance of having access to information from the semiconductor industry on products and processes to facilitate identification of suspected counterfeit products and agreed to undertake, as appropriate, enforcement measures against semiconductor counterfeiting, to keep other members informed.'