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In Iraq, counterfeit items sold at exchanges

Mar-30-2004 » Filed Under: Iraq News

[Link to Full Article]
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Tuesday, March 30, 2004

BAGHDAD — Army and Air Force Exchange Service concessionaires and “haji shops” are selling counterfeit products on U.S. bases in Iraq, even though AAFES says the selling of “knockoff” merchandise is not authorized.

Counterfeit products — ranging from fake watches to bootleg DVDs — are on sale at U.S. military bases all over Iraq. [...]

At Q-West base in northern Iraq, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment commander Lt. Col. Karl Reed said it had not occurred to him that the sale of counterfeit goods on his base was an issue. He said he had ejected some Iraqi retailers whose prices were too high.

Reed said his concern was providing his soldiers with things they needed to survive in Iraq and that worrying about whether products were genuine was low on his list of priorities.

“The Iraqi economy is full of this stuff after 10 years of sanctions. They were our enemy so they didn’t care much about protecting U.S. copyrights,” he said.

Agreed - seems like it should be a low priority.


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