ACG attends IP Crime Group meeting

The overall UK market in counterfeit goods is estimated to be worth £9.3 billion. An ever increasing number of counterfeit goods are coming into the UK, largely arriving from countries such as China, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan and Turkey.
 
To address the growth in counterfeits and other forms of intellectual property (IP) crime, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) launched the IP Crime Group in 2004, to bring together all stakeholders, including government, with the intention of driving the creation of a national strategy for tackling IP crime. The group now publishes an annual IP and Enforcement Crime Report to highlight the current and emerging counterfeiting and piracy threats in the UK and overseas.
 
Phil Lewis, Director General ACG is a regular attendee at the IP Crime Group meetings and updates the group on the lobbying activities and collaborative enforcement initiatives of the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG).
   
Phil explained “IP Crime Group meetings are always helpful. They offer sheltered discussions and exchanges of ideas between attendees, many of which rarely have the opportunity to meet in such a strategic capacity.
 
“At this meeting there was a wide range of attendees from Government and industry, and a presentation by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Illicit Trade Task Force. I will be updating ACG members on progress and outcomes in due course.”