18 March 2021
Today, the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG) working with member, BrandMonitor hosted a seminar to focus on border protection in Russia and the UK.
Phil Lewis, ACG Director General moderated the event and provided an overview of the ACG. Then BrandMonitor’s CEO and Business Development Director presented an overview of customs’ seizure research and delved into a live demo that highlighted the scope and scale of seizures in Russia.
An informative legal panel on protecting intellectual property (IP) rights was led by a Senior Associate at Clarke Wilmott LLP and the Head of Legal at BrandMonitor. Later, a second panel involving the Deputy Head for Ensuring Control of Goods, IP Objects for Russian Customs and the Senior Detection Manager and Higher Executive Officer for UK Border Force, gave attendees an interesting insight into customs and border protection in both countries.
Two case studies were presented by representatives from Unilever UK and Victorinox Swiss Army SA. They had both experienced large-scale counterfeit issues and successfully tackled the criminals through collaboration with other partners.
The ACG Intelligence Coordinator explained four key areas of enforcement that brand owners should be aware of and ACG’s involvement in Operation BEORMA. A multi-agency intelligence-led operation that has identified over 100 active counterfeiters and shown clear links to organised criminal activity.
More ACG Border Enforcement Seminars are planned, which will spotlight other countries customs’ procedures and legal requirements and help to brand owners protect their IP rights. If you are interested in joining us, keep checking the events page for more information.
ACG represents more than 3,000 brands affected by this influx of fakes into the UK and delivers an international network of information, advice and contacts on all aspects of IP protection. Working with Government and law enforcement agencies since 1980, ACG is focused on providing an effective and sustained response to counterfeiting.
Membership with the ACG is the best way to work with government and enforcement bodies to protect your brand. Our Roadshows and training days help you reach out to police, trading standards and border force officers and tell them about your genuine products.