Second Latin America Regional Brand Protection Summit Promotes Public-Private Cooperation in Anti-Counterfeiting Enforcement

News provided by

International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition

Oct 16, 2018, 11:39 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC) and UL (Underwriters Laboratories) have partnered to host their second Latin America Regional Brand Protection Summit. The three-day event, which will take place in Orlando, Florida, U.S., will bring together nearly 200 senior government officials from more than 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, the intellectual property (IP) community and international law enforcement agencies. The summit, which also includes INTERPOL as a partner, will focus on the importance of public-private cooperation in anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy efforts.

Panel sessions, keynote addresses and discussions will center around how different agencies and sectors can work with each other at a local level and also how international cooperation can be valuable to regional enforcement efforts.

Summit attendees will hear from speakers from the White House Administration, Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and the FBI:

Derek Benner, Executive Associate Director (EAD), U.S. Homeland Security Investigations
Brenda Smith, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Aaron Seres, Acting Section Chief of the Financial Crime Section, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Segundo Leoncio Mejía Montenegro, Director of IP, National Police of Peru
Vishal Amin, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, The White House

"Building on the momentum of the 2016 event, we're excited to explore the ways in which the private and public sectors can work together to prevent fakes from infiltrating Latin American markets," said Bob Barchiesi, President of the IACC. "Our goal is to open the lines of communication. We want to make it clear that the private sector is here and willing to support law enforcement and government officials in Latin America in their efforts to protect businesses and consumers from dangerous counterfeit products."

New for this year's event, in line with the theme of public-private collaboration, is the addition of brand training built directly into the summit agenda. This will allow trademark owners the opportunity to educate conference attendees, particularly government and enforcement officials, about their products and associated counterfeiting issues. During the event, there will also be a Governments' Fair, which will give brand owners the unique opportunity to speak directly with country representatives about their nation's IP policies.

"Collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential to stemming the tide of counterfeit products entering the stream of commerce," said Brian Monks, Vice President and Chief Security Officer, Global Security and Brand Protection at UL. "A major stream is e-commerce where we've seen companies make it a priority to protect their brands and investments by cracking down on the online distribution of fake products."

Law enforcement and policy officials representing Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Uruguay will be participating in this year's summit.

Latin America, with its important role in international trade, is a key region in the fight against fakes. According to the U.S. Trade Representative's annual report, seven of 12 countries on the continent of South America were included, either on the watch list or priority watch list.

"In order to remove illicit products from circulation and to dismantle the networks behind these crimes, international and coordinated law enforcement action is crucial," said Daoming Zhang, INTERPOL's Assistant Director of Illicit Markets & Organized and Emerging Crime.

About the IACC:
The IACC (www.iacc.org) is a Washington, DC-based not for profit organization representing the interests of companies concerned with trademark counterfeiting and the related theft of intellectual property. The members of the IACC include many of the world's best-known brands across all product sectors. The IACC has played a leading role in the development of cross-industry voluntary agreements, to address the illicit trafficking of counterfeit and pirated goods online, including its IACC MarketSafe and RogueBlock initiatives.

About UL:
UL is a premier global independent safety science company that has championed progress for more than 120 years. Our nearly 11,000 professionals are guided by the UL mission to promote safe working and living environments for all people. UL uses research and standards to continually advance and meet ever-evolving safety needs. We partner with businesses, manufacturers, trade associations and international regulatory authorities to bring solutions to a more complex global supply chain. For more information about our certification, testing, inspection, training and education services, visit http://www.UL.com.

About INTERPOL:
INTERPOL is the world's largest international police organization, with 192 member countries. Its role is to connect police worldwide so as to prevent and fight crime through enhanced cooperation and innovation. Its high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the evolving challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century.

SOURCE International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition