IP Key LA organises workshop that highlights counterfeiting as a threat to society

According to the EUIPO: ‘Illicit trade in fake goods is a major challenge in an innovation-driven global economy. It has a negative impact on the sales and profits of affected firms, as well as broader adverse effects on the economy as well as public health, safety and security.’ Taking this growing threat into account, IP Key LA has organised a workshop for national IP and copyright enforcement authorities, customs officers, and prosecutors from the entire Latin America region.

The activity aims to encourage participating authorities to engage further with the EU to protect IP rights and promote the use of best practices regarding border enforcement measures. The proposed agenda will include talks about trends in counterfeiting and piracy, as well as the current enforcement landscape, participants will be able to share case studies and examples illustrating enforcement actions in their respective countries, specifically focused on small consignments and risk analysis.

As the EUIPO states: ‘The proliferation of small shipments raises the cost of checks and detention for customs and introduces additional significant challenges for enforcement authorities. There is thus a need for co-ordinated examination of policies in this area.’ Even though Latin America is not the number one region in the world in terms of production and trade of counterfeit and pirated products, it is a huge marketplace for such items, with a large number of goods sold in informal, open-air markets. This is why activities such as this workshop are so important for the region.

The workshop is split into two half-day sessions on 24 and 25 September 2020, which will provide an overview of the state of play of border enforcement in the EU and Latin America, and promote knowledge exchange between EU expert and local participants the region on specific elements of border enforcement procedures, respectively.