§708-875 - Trademark counterfeiting. - Hawaii Statutes

     [§708-875]  Trademark counterfeiting.  (1)  A person commits the offense of trademark counterfeiting who knowingly manufactures, produces, displays, advertises, distributes, offers for sale, sells, or possesses with the intent to sell or distribute any item bearing or identified by a counterfeit mark, knowing that the mark is counterfeit.

     (2)  As used in this section:

     "Counterfeit mark" means any spurious mark that is identical to or confusingly similar to any print, label, trademark, service mark, or trade name registered in accordance with chapter 482 or registered on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

     "Sale" includes resale.

     (3)  Trademark counterfeiting is a class C felony.

     (4)  In any action brought under this section resulting in a conviction or a plea of nolo contendere, the court shall order the forfeiture and destruction of all counterfeit marks and the forfeiture and destruction or other disposition of all items bearing a counterfeit mark, and all personal property, including any items, objects, tools, machines, equipment, instrumentalities, or vehicles of any kind, employed or used in connection with a violation of this section, in accordance with the procedures set forth in chapter 712A. [L 1997, c 277, §1]

 

COMMENTARY ON §708-875

 

  Act 277, Session Laws 1997, added this section, which establishes the offense of trademark counterfeiting as a class C felony, and which authorizes the forfeiture and destruction or other disposition of counterfeited property.  The legislature found that trademark counterfeiting was a recurring problem in Hawaii for retail boutiques and trademark products of the University of Hawaii, and that tourists are often the target for the scams.  The legislature believed that the Act would safeguard not only consumers from the sale of counterfeit products, but would also protect the reputation and quality of trademarks and ensure that trademarks are used for their legitimate and intended purposes.  House Standing Committee Report No. 1620, Senate Standing Committee Report No. 759.