4-7 October 2005: Operational Seminar on the Role of Customs in Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy, Zagreb

The “Operational Seminar on the Role of Customs in Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy” will be held in Zagreb on 4-7 October 2005 under the EC-funded CARDS Regional Programme on Industrial and Intellectual Property Rights managed by the European Commission and operated by the European Patent Office. The seminar is being  organised in collaboration with the European Commission Directorate-General for Taxation and the Customs Union (DGTAXUD) and the State Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Croatia. Designed for operational customs officers, the seminar consists of practical exercises on risk analysis and targeting counterfeited and pirated goods, and introduces the best European and international practice in the field of customs enforcement and the prevention of counterfeiting and piracy. During the four days of the seminar, participants from CARDS countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro) will be able to update their knowledge and exchange views and information with their counterparts from the EU.

The following topics will be covered: evolution of EC customs legislation, evolution of customs techniques, implementation of targeting techniques in ports, on national (land)  borders and at airports. This seminar is specially designed to offer practical exercises and examples of techniques from actual cases. Representatives from major companies including BIC, Nike, Panasonic, Unilever, Adidas and Lacoste will show counterfeit products and explain how to distinguish between original and counterfeit items. The third day of the seminar will be operational. Three groups will visit three different customs posts – at road, sea port and airport sites – targeting aircraft, ships, trucks, etc., on arrival, on departure and in transit. This will be a chance for seminar participants to apply in a real-life situation the various techniques discussed the previous day.

The prevention of counterfeiting and piracy, and improved enforcement of IP rights, are among the key priorities for consumer protection and a properly functioning market economy, which in turn provides an enabling environment for innovation, growth, employment and global competitiveness in the region.