On 11 June 2024, the WCO organized a Symposium on “Removing counterfeits from e-commerce” preceded by the Operation STOP III report launch. This event, the first of its kind under the IPR, Health and Safety Programme, attracted more than 350 registrations from WCO Member administrations, the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO) network, international organizations, rights holders, industry, academia and private sector representatives, including e-commerce platforms, Customs brokers, express carriers and postal operators.
The Symposium presented and described the landscape of illicit goods based on WCO data analysis resulting mainly from Operation STOP III and from seizures by other WCO Members and other stakeholders.
In addition, through a panel discussion on the “Paradigm shift to bring about better results in the fight against counterfeiting in e-commerce”, the Symposium provided an opportunity for discussions on the challenges faced by Customs and the private sector with respect to intellectual property right (IPR) enforcement, particularly in the e-commerce domain.
Objectives
The aim of this second edition of the Symposium is to continue raising awareness among Customs officials and the general public about the threat of counterfeiting through e-commerce. This edition of the Symposium has a special focus on substandard, counterfeit and falsified medicines and medical devices.
Target audience
- WCO Member administrations and the RILO network
- International organizations
- Rights holders and industry representatives
- Private sector representatives (e-commerce platforms, Customs brokers, express carriers, postal operators)
- Academia
Format: The Symposium will be held in a hybrid format.
Registration: When registering, attendees may choose to attend either in-person at WCO Headquarters in Brussels or online.
Languages: English and French.
Date and time: 15 January 2025, from 13:00 to 15:00 (Brussels time)