Federation Council senators have drafted a bill that would increase fines for producers and distributors of counterfeit goods, Interfax reported Thursday.
Federation Council Vice Speaker Svetlana Orlova, a co-author of the proposed legislation, told the news agency that the fines would be no less than 1,500 rubles ($50) for individuals, 10,000 rubles for officials and 30,000 for businesses.
Higher fines would be imposed depending on the pirated merchandise's price and the "damage" it inflicts, Orlova said, adding that the annual turnover of such goods in Russia amounts to 900 billion rubles.
"Counterfeit goods have permeated almost all segments of the domestic market, from children's toys to intellectual property," she said. "Twelve percent of the medicines in our nation are fake."
(MT)
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