On 29 and 30 October, the Latvian Patent Office (LPO), in cooperation with the National Customs Board of the State Revenue Service (National Customs Board), is organizing an annual seminar on Effective methods of enforcing intellectual property rights. At the seminar, national and international experts will give presentations on the current topics of combatting counterfeiting, as well as discuss the issues of trade in counterfeit goods on online platforms and control of postal consignments.
Every year, foreign experts, representatives of customs authorities of European countries and officials from Latvian institutions are invited to participate in this seminar to share their experiences in combating counterfeiting. In their turn, patent attorneys identify counterfeit brands.
Mr. Agris Batalauskis, LPO’ s Director, stresses: “Proactive cooperation of all parties involved is essential for the successful protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR), but information exchange and keeping up with current trends is also a very important prerequisite. In the business of counterfeiting, there are no borders between countries, so we must also diminish information borders between institutions involved in IPR enforcement, because only in this way can we effectively reduce the importation and spread of counterfeit products in our country".
Mr. Raimonds Zukuls, Director of the National Customs Board, notes: “Alongside with combatting violations of sanctions, cigarette and drug smuggling, our customs authorities continue to implement control measures aimed at reducing the spread of counterfeit items. As a result of the control of goods flows from third countries, 230 counterfeit shipments and cargoes were intercepted last year. More than 230,000 counterfeit goods were seized, including approx. 4500 toys, 3200 perfumes, and a large number of hologram stickers. Counterfeit products are bought not only for the personal use, but also for trading or manufacturing of other counterfeit goods, thereby extending the chain of illegal activities. In such a situation, the cooperation of all competent authorities is very important.”
This year, the experts from the Customs Administrations of Germany and the Netherlands will speak about the current trends in counterfeiting, while the representatives of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights of the European Union Intellectual Property Office will provide the latest information on their institutions’ activities and developments.
Seminar participants will have the opportunity to learn from the experts of the State Police Economic Crime Combatting Department and the National Customs Board about the role and activities of their institutions in IPR enforcement. In their turn, patent attorneys and representative of rights owners will explain how to identify counterfeit and pirated brands.
Traditionally, a discussion among experts in the field will be held on the second day of the seminar. This year, the discussion on “IPR enforcement: problems and solutions” will focus on the trade in counterfeit goods on online platforms, such as Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, as well as on websites registered in Latvia. Also, a still large number of counterfeit goods that enter the country in small postal consignments will be an issue for discussion. Other topics will cover the effectiveness of the penal system and the issues of destroying counterfeit goods.
The discussion’s participants will include the LPO’s Director, representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Justice, National Customs Boards, State Police, Riga City Court, Consumer Rights Protection Center, Health Inspectorate, and Association of Patent Attorneys of Latvia.