The WCO to sign three important cooperation agreements

On the occasion of the 7th Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy, to be held in Istanbul from 24 to 26 April 2013, the World Customs Organization (WCO) will be signing three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with different associations that are active in the fight against counterfeiting.

The first MOU will be signed by the WCO and three organizations dedicated to the sporting goods industry: the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI), the Associação Brasileira de Artigos Esportivos (MOVE), and the Russian Association of Sports Industry Enterprises (RASIE).

The WCO will also sign MOUs with the Asociación Nacional para la Defensa de la Marcas (ANDEMA), and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB).

These MOUs are designed to enhance efficiency in the fight against counterfeiting through increased collaboration and joint actions.

Beyond acknowledging each organization’s respective activities in the fight against counterfeiting, these MOUs are largely focused on the promotion of the Interface Public-Members (IPM), the WCO’s online interface between Customs and the private sector, and the exchange of information to help train Customs officers. The IPM tool has been developed to foster cooperation between Customs and right holders, facilitate the exchange of information, and strengthen Customs’ capacity to detect counterfeit goods.

The 7th Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy is being co-organized with INTERPOL, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the International Chamber of Commerce/BASCAP initiative (ICC/BASCAP) and the International Trademark Association (INTA).