COUNTERING COUNTERFETING IN KENYA

AN INTRODUCTION TO KENYA'S ANTI-COUNTERFEITING SYSTEM: CHALLENGES AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

抄録

The research leading to this paper was geared towards obtainment of a primary apprise on the issues fettering the fight against counterfeits in Kenya with a keen interest on problems encountered by foreign companies doing business in Kenya, the challenges faced by institutions dealing with Intellectual Property rights and proposals on the best way forward.

This paper outlines the findings based on a research on governmental institutions and personnel and/or experts that deal with combating counterfeiting in Kenya, directly or indirectly. Based on the analysis of the responses received, it become apparent that counterfeiting is a deep-rooted problem that is enhanced by diverse yet significant factors such as corruption, non- collaboration between the private sectors (brand owners) and governmental institutions, and the inadequate border control of counterfeits entering the Kenyan market.

The paper is in a bid to further probe into factors enhancing counterfeiting and to identify possible strategies that can be employed to combat counterfeiting.