GENEVA - The Fourth Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy met in Dubai from February 3-5, 2008, under the auspices of Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Senior officials from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and representatives of other international intergovernmental organizations, governments, regional and national enforcement agencies and business attended the Congress to identify solutions to the escalating problems of counterfeiting and piracy, a press release by WIPO stated.
Hosted by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and Dubai Customs, the Congress was co-convened by INTERPOL and WIPO, in cooperation with the world’s business community represented by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) through its BASCAP (Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy) initiative, the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the International Security Management Association (ISMA).
The three-day meeting focused on a range of key themes, including the health and safety risks counterfeit products pose to consumers; raising awareness of the full economic and social costs of counterfeiting and piracy; the growing problem of the sale of counterfeit and pirated products over the Internet; and, strengthening cooperation and collaboration at the global level.
The Congress brought together policy makers and experts from more than 60 countries to explore and identify concrete measures and resources to counter the damaging effects of the illegal trade in counterfeit and pirated goods.
The Third Global Congress in January 2007 was hosted by WIPO in Geneva and attracted some 1,000 participants from around the world. The Second Global Congress in 2005 was hosted by INTERPOL in Lyon, France and the First Global Congress was held in Brussels, Belgium in 2004 and hosted by the WCO.
These international gatherings have provided a valuable forum for representatives from both the public and private sectors to pool their experience, raise awareness, enhance cooperation and identify strategies to deal more effectively with the global problem of counterfeiting and piracy.