Russia's commitment to fight against counterfeits pledged by political leaders

Russia's commitment to fight against counterfeits pledged by political leaders

Moscow, 22 October 2012

Report

At the invitation of the organizing committee, the Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, spoke at the First International Conference on Anti-Counterfeiting held in Moscow, Russia on 22 October 2012 to highlight efforts to tackle the illicit trade in counterfeit goods in the region.

During the opening panel session, Russia’s Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, stressed his strong commitment to protecting intellectual property rights (IPR) with the aim of safe-guarding Russian economic interests and creating an investment-friendly environment.

The Secretary General followed the Russian Prime Minister by explaining that Customs’ role in fighting counterfeits at borders to protect consumers, innovation and legitimate business contributed to economic competitiveness and the fight against organized crime. He pointed out four challenges in this respect:

Firstly, raising awareness among consumers that counterfeiting damages society and the economy was essential. In this connection, he mentioned the use of sports events to educate young people, such as the Russian Customs operation to intercept counterfeit goods associated with the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, in collaboration with Customs administrations of neighbouring countries and the WCO.

Secondly, the cooperation of right holders was critical for Customs in getting relevant information for Customs risk management purposes. In this regard, he explained the WCO Interface Public-Members (IPM) tool that enabled Customs officers at borders to identify fake goods.

Thirdly, coordination with relevant authorities on borders, including the police, trade, health and other concerned authorities, was vital to tackle criminality and the source of counterfeiting. He elaborated on the WCO’s international cooperation with INTERPOL, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Health Organization (WIPO) and other international bodies.

Fourthly, adequate legislation was indispensable to empower Customs administrations to cooperate with right holders and other law enforcement agencies in making seizures to prevent counterfeit goods from entering the market. In this connection, he was encouraged by the Eurasian Community’s movement towards enhancing its legal framework.

Russia’s Minister of the Interior and the Eurasian Economic Commission’s Minister of Industry and Trade explained their anti-counterfeit undertakings, while representatives from both the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the music industry expressed their appreciation to the Russian government for its commitment to joining the global fight against the violation of intellectual property rights (IPR) together with the WCO and other international organizations.

Later, Secretary General Mikuriya was invited to speak on the Conference and other Customs issues during the Russian Today (RT) live TV show entitled "Bringing Customs Closer".

More information

TV broadcast: http://rt.com/programs/spotlight/kunio-mikuriya-world-customs/