The Ugandan Parliament has launched public consultations on the Anti-Counterfeit Goods Bill 2023 (ACGB) to get different opinions on the repercussions of the bill, if passed.

According to Hon. Asuman Basalirwa, the mover of the bill, the consultations shall be carried out for a period of 3 months beginning April 2024 and will take place at selected locations in the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Western regions of Uganda.

He stated that the need for the ACGB 2023 is to address the negative trend with punitive sanctions against the culprits.

“We are facing an economic squeeze, but this squeeze is being compounded by counterfeits, which are destroying all productive sectors of the economy and driving youth unemployment to unbearable levels,” Asuman said.

He urged the public to embrace the public consultations without any reservations and invited brand owners, regulators, and consumers to participate in the process, citing it as an important milestone in fighting against counterfeits and protecting legitimate businesses.

Basalirwa praised parliament for swiftly passing a resolution to grant leave last year for the introduction of the ACGB.

The Anti-Counterfeit Goods Bill 2023 was first introduced in 2015, but the Cabinet withdrew it on the grounds that there were other laws that addressed counterfeiting goods.