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IACC Celebrates Another Successful Europol IP Crime Conference

16-Jul-2019 | Source : The International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition Inc. | Visits : 4943
ROME - Marking another successful year, the annual Europol IP Crime Conference gathered nearly 400 leaders of law enforcement, rights-holders, industry organizations and academia from 40 countries in Málaga, Spain on June 17th. Hosted by Europol and the Spanish National Police, in partnership with the IACC, the two-day conference focused on “adaptive enforcement initiatives against new IP crime trends” according to the official website of the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition Inc.

To kick things off, IACC President Bob Barchiesi, as well as leaders from Europol, Spanish National Police, EUIPO, the White House IPEC, and the US National IPR Coordination Center, delivered keynote remarks during the Opening Ceremony. Each noted the need to adjust policies and procedures to meet the current and future challenges in IP enforcement.

“Everyone has a role in the war against counterfeiting,” said IACC President Bob Barchiesi in his opening remarks. “At the IACC, we are committed to bringing together visionary leaders and forming strategic and complementary alliances, never losing sight of our end goal of protecting rights holders everywhere.” 

The IACC also recognized Chris Vansteenkiste, Europol’s Cluster Manager Counterfeiting, for his dedication and efforts in IP enforcement. Bob commended Chris, whose service with Europol will be finishing by the end of the year, for his collaboration with the IACC and the IP community over the years.

Reinforcing the conference’s theme, several IACC staff presented examples of the organization’s success in adaptive enforcement, specifically through partnerships with other organizations and businesses around the world. 
Candice Li Uzoigwe, VP – Chief of Staff, gave an overview of the IACC’s global community of organizations, businesses, and associations that share a commitment to combating fakes.

Travis Johnson, VP – Legislative Affairs, Senior Counsel, moderated a panel discussion on how rights holders can work with intermediaries to stop the sale of counterfeits on various platforms.

Lara Miller, VP ­– Corporate Strategy, and Michael Walsh, VP – Training and Administration, provided a deep dive into how the IACC works with intermediary and law enforcement partners. These relationships allow brands to have effective enforcement against counterfeiters, while IACC partners can root out bad actors using their services/products for illegitimate purposes. The programs result in a win-win situation for everyone.

Europol and the IACC closed the event by announcing that the next Europol IP Crime Conference will take place in Rome, Italy on June 2020 in collaboration with the Italian Guardia di Finanza. The Europol IP Crime Conference was previously held in Antwerp, Belgium in 2017 and Budapest, Hungary in 2018.
 
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