eWedNewz by Paul Pannone

By Paul Pannone

Ongoing investigation and story coverage shows growing traction in the fight against online piracy and threat against wedding gown manufacturers who have lost millions of dollars in revenue to knock off items made in other countries. The efforts of industry leader, Steve Lang, has long risen above the narrow-minded, limited ability of wedding industry sources who’ve not helped in the efforts but have actually tried to hinder Lang’s fight. But recent events and ongoing record of success could be turning some pundits around. eWedNewz continues our investigation and will report the findings.

The most recent update given by the ABPIA reads as follows:

Update on status of the ABPIA’s anti-piracy campaign:

The ABPIA has been active at the state and federal level, successfully obtaining restraining orders, working with state attorneys general, and meeting with US Senate legislative members.

Its most dramatic impact has been with the Federal Court as the ABPIA has received temporary restraining orders against approximately 1500 counterfeit websites.

These orders have allowed ABPIA to freeze funds in numerous PayPal accounts, and supports the association’s demand that service providers take down offending domains.

An additional 1500 counterfeit sites will be submitted to the court over the next several months.

On the state level, ABPIA has been working to educate the New Jersey state attorney general’s office to help in their understanding of the threat posed by counterfeiters, and will soon be in contact with other state AGs to raise the visibility of this issue across the country.

Most recently, the ABPIA leaders and legal counsel traveled to Washington and met with Senator Robert Menendez, influential chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee dealing with international relations. Menendez’s position and committee are the third most powerful entity in this category, ranking just below the Secretary of State and President of the US.

Future meetings are calendared and will focus on well conceived strategies the federal government can undertake to be more active and aggressive in fighting counterfeiting.

In addition to these steps, the ABPIA has issued a call to manufacturers, retailers, reps and media to provide details of consumers who have fallen victim to misleading websites and purchases.

Visit abpia.com for details and reporting forms.

Senator Bob Menendez, mentioned in the ABPIA release, has reportedly been very sympathetic to the fight of American manufacturers against offshore piracy.

“Bob understands the problem and is at least willing to listen to our concerns,” according to Lang.

But the fight is far from over admits Lang. Not everyone has been as easy to work with or willing to help. But Lang and other supporting manufacturers say they’re hopeful for a favorable outcome, as long as they can continue to keep the story alive and the winning advances against the pirates coming.

Bob Menendez’s story is a quintessential American story. He grew up the son of immigrants in a tenement building in Union City, New Jersey and has risen to become one of 100 United States Senators. He has earned the reputation of a fighter who puts economic security and security ahead of powerful special interests.

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