Customs will stop counterfeit trademarks entering Puerto Rico

In the list of counterfeit products that enter Puerto Rico, there are drugs that, in other countries, such as the Dominican Republic , are sold as equivalent to registered trademarks, but that in the United States violate the intellectual property rights of the manufacturer.

One of those products that comes from the neighboring Caribbean island is a pill that replicates the active component of Viagra. Although the patent for this drug for erectile dysfunction expired, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer registered its blue color and diamond shape as part of its trademark, so the entry of an equivalent with those same characteristics of shape and color.

The traveler who brings that pill, even if it is only for their use, risks not having it when they need it because, if the drug is detected when entering Puerto Rico, it can be seized by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). , in English) , said the public affairs specialist of the agency for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Island, Jeffrey Quiñones.

“Products that violate intellectual property almost always come with a lower quality than the real product , “ Quiñones also warned. “There are people who bring them from the Dominican Republic and they bring many (pills) supposedly for personal use, but they bring enough to sell them at retail,” said the spokesman… (Excerpts from El Nuevo Dia)