This balloted bill, from Liberal Democrat trade spokesman Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham), will give trading standards officers, police and customs officers clear guidelines to crack down on the criminals behind fake - and often unsafe - branded goods, such as perfumes, CDs, toys and movies.

The Copyright, etc, and Trade Marks (Offences and Enforcement) Bill, will help not only consumers but the Inland Revenue, which currently loses an estimated £1.5bn a year through pirates' breaches of intellectual property copyrights and company trademarks.

The Bill is almost identical to that introduced by Labour MP Andrew Miller, which fell because of lack of time in the last parliament.

The Bill would not create new criminal offences, but aims to rationalise existing legislation. Cable said it would achieve three objectives:

Increasing the maximum penalty for copyright theft from two years to 10, bringing copyright legislation in line with trademark law.

Strengthening the use of search powers to allow the prosecuting authorities and the police to use these to secure evidence for a criminal prosecution.

Giving the courts stronger powers of forfeiture of equipment, goods and money, harmonising upwards sanctions against against criminals threatening different aspects of intellectual property law.

The National Criminal Intelligence Service had highlighted the involvement of drug barons in copyright theft and pirating, which were considered low-risk because penalties were relatively small. The proceeds funded other criminal activities.

Ministers revealed, at second reading, that the government supported the bill, and it also got the backing of the Conservatives.

House of Commons

First reading: July 18 2001 (HC Bill 17)

Second reading: November 23 2001

Committee (Standing Committee C):

• 1st sitting: January 9 2002

Remaining stages: April 12 2002

House of Lords

First reading: April 15 2002(HL Bill 71)

Second reading: May 10 2002

Committee: June 17 2002 (Discharged)

Third reading: July 16 2002

Royal Assent: July 24 2002