Anti- Piracy Unit (APU) REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS

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MAURITIUS

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Republic of Mauritius

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Official languages English

Vernacular Mauritian Creole, French, English

AreaTotal 2,040 km2 787 sq mi 

Population2009 estimate

1,288,000

The 3 mains pillars of the Mauritian economy

Agriculture, Textile, and Tourism.

 Density631.4/km2 1,636.5/sq mi

CurrencyMauritian rupee (Rs)

€ 1 : Rs 40 $1 USD : Rs 33

INFORMATION ABOUT MAURITIUS

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"А counterfeit medicine is one which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled with respect to identity and/or source. Counterfeiting can apply to both branded and generic products and counterfeit products may include products with the correct ingredients or with the wrong ingredients, without active ingredients, with insufficient active ingredients or with fake packaging."

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Purchasing from: Europe ASIA South Africa

Sole Counterfeit seized :India

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Our National Legislation

The Copyright Act 1997.(Label or Design)

The Protection Against Unfair Practice Act 2002.

The Patents, Industrial Designs & Trademarks Act 2002.

The Copyright Act 1997 : Any person who commits an offence shall ,

(i) On a first conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding 300,000 rupees and to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years

(ii) On a second subsequent offence be liable to a fine not exceeding 500,000 rupees and o imprisonment for a term not exceeding 8 years.

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The PROTECTION AGAINST UNFAIR PRACTICES (INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY RIGHTS) Act 2002: Any person who contravenes section 4(1) shall commit an offence and shall , on conviction , be liable to a fine of 250,000 rupees and to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years.

The PATENT INDUSTRIAL DESIGN & TRADEMARKS Act 2002: (1) The performance of any act referred to in section 21,32 and 40 in Mauritius by any person other than the owner of the title of protection or the licensee and without the agreement of the owner, shall be unlawful.

(2) Any person who knowingly performs any act in breach of section (1) , shall commit an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding 25,000 rupees and imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years.

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Common law Jurisdiction- Police only powers of arrest

Custom Department Ministry of Health – Permanent Secretary

or other designated officers Ministry of Commerce ( Industrial Property

Office Registration of Marks) Mauritius Society of Authors (MASA) Stakeholders i.e Local agreement or legal

representative of importer medical stuff.

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Suspected Confirmed Imported / Domestic

Vital Medicines

2008 Nil

2007 Nil

2006 Nil

2005 Nil

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Number of cases

Patients complaints Nil

Health professionals reports Nil

Enforcement / Investigation work Nil

Routine checks Nil

Reported by affected manufacturer / importer

One in October 2009

Other

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As at 2009 only 1 under Investigation

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Training for Police officers :To be able to

Identify genuine & counterfeit products Technical terms Duration & specification i.e. specific date including

date of production to expiry date. Country of origins – products Knowledge of different labels. Modern trend- national Data Base Monitoring Committee – liaise with World Heath

Organisation (WHO) Network – Sharing information with other

International agencies

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