On Tuesday, 5 October 2021, an international seminar on Effective Methods of Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) will be held for customs officers and prosecutors in order to increase their knowledge of the current methods of combating IPR infringement. The aim of the seminar is to strengthen the national capacity in the field of IPR enforcement.
For the fifth year in a row, the Patent Office, in cooperation with the Customs Board of the State Revenue Service (SRS) and with the support of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), is organizing a training for officials of Customs and other SRS structural units, thus providing them with the opportunity to learn from best practices in the fight against counterfeiting at European and international levels.
This year's edition will let the seminar participants discuss the role of customs in IPR enforcement through border measures, share experiences in the fight against counterfeiting and raise awareness of anti-counterfeiting activities. The seminar participants will have the opportunity to learn about the latest trends in counterfeiting and get examples of best practices in the detection of large consignments of counterfeit goods. It is also planned to discuss the activities of the Latvian customs aimed at preventing IPR infringement and the latest changes in regulatory enactments, as well as to learn about the methods of IPR enforcement from the point of view of different IPR owners.
Acting Director of the Latvian Patent Office Baiba Graube noted: “I am pleased that this initiative of the Patent Office, which was successfully launched in 2016, is also supported by law enforcement institutions. The seminar program has been carefully prepared in cooperation with the SRS Customs Board to offer our customs and prosecution authorities up-to-date information from the World Customs Organization, EUIPO, the Belgian Customs and Excise, as well as from representatives of rights holders in Latvia. It is interinstitutional cooperation that has been identified as an example of good practice in the field of IPR enforcement, as it makes it possible to optimize resources, improve communication between the relevant authorities, avoid duplication of effort and promote coordinated message dissemination."
Deputy Director General for Customs Issues, Director of the National Customs Board of the State Revenue Service Raimonds Zukuls, pointed out: “The trafficking of counterfeit goods is a global problem, and law enforcement authorities of Latvia, the European Union and the world join forces to combat it. IPR infringement seriously threaten the society and hinders fair competition between companies. In order to prevent the movement of counterfeit goods, our customs have been delegated the right to control cargo and postal consignments entering Latvia from third countries. In the first nine months of this year, our customs have prevented 232 cases of the import into Latvia of more than 165,000 pcs of counterfeit goods. The seizures included goods that were potentially dangerous to the health and safety of consumers, such as medicines, toys, car spare parts, and others. Interinstitutional and international cooperation, regular exchange of experiences and information are essential for the protection of the society, and this annual seminar is one of the most important forms of cooperation that promotes the implementation of IPR enforcement measures."
It should be mentioned that the study on Entrepreneurs' Awareness of Industrial Property Rights, conducted by the Patent Office and the Public Opinion Research Center “SKDS” at the end of 2019, concluded that 65% of the surveyed entrepreneurs were aware of the advantages of industrial property protection. 71% of companies indicated that counterfeiting distorted fair competition and had a negative effect on it. The study found that 53% of entrepreneurs admitted that the company could suffer significant losses due to counterfeiting, and 10% had even experienced it. This is a serious signal to the authorities to think proactively and take care of the enforcement of industrial property rights.