Nigerian Businesses Urge Police to Help Curb Counterfeits

Nigerian Businesses Urge Police to Help Curb Counterfeits The widespread problem of counterfeit bearings showing up in markets all around the world was highlighted recently by Nigerian industrial product distributors. Nigeria, long rated alongside Brazil as the most corrupt place to do business on earth and home to an endless series of online and offline schemes and scams, was not a likely place for complaints about counterfeit bearings to surface. Fake drugs kill thousands of Nigerians every year; over 600 street pharmaceutical shops selling counterfeit drugs have been shut down since early 2004. But complaints about other counterfeit and pirated goods are rare. For example, the U.S. Department of Commerce found essentially all music and video sold in Nigeria is pirated, and pirate copying studios operate openly. Even state-run television and radio run illegally copied movies and programs. In 1999, Nigeria turned from military to largely democratic rule, and foreign companies that had wanted to invest in Nigerian industrial and manufacturing operations have been looking for a safe way back into Africa's largest and most affluent country. To that end, potential industrial supply partners in Nigeria have been urging the police and other agencies to make some effort at controlling the widespread counterfeiting of industrial products, and bearings in particular. If foreign partners believe their products are better protected in Nigeria, they believe, there will be a surge in investment by those foreign manufacturing companies. Bearings are among the most fundamental industrial products sold in any economy, and because of that are a high-profile target for governments to display their commitment in actively pursuing counterfeits. In Nigeria, SKF, Timken, INA, FAG and other most rolling element bearings are commonly available as counterfeits. Counterfeit engine bearings overrun the market, targeting well-known brands such as Taiho, NDS and KG.