The 18th Counterfeiting and Piracy (CAP) Group Meeting took place in two phases, from 22 October to 5 November 2021 for the document-based phase and on 17 and 18 November 2021 for the virtual phase, which was organized in a hybrid format (i.e., both online and with Members being welcomed to the WCO Headquarters building).
The document-based phase saw the election by the Meeting participants of Mr. Olo Sib PALE, Customs Attaché from Côte d'Ivoire, as its Chairperson, the adoption of the proposed Agenda and the approval of the Report of the 17th CAP Group Meeting. Mr. Pranab Kumar DAS, Director, Compliance and Facilitation, opened the virtual session by welcoming participants to the Meeting and thanking them for their support and engagement during Operations STOP I and II.
The WCO Secretariat then briefed delegates on the state of play of the IPR, Health and Safety Programme and the need to raise funding for the implementation of its Strategy 2020. Members were also briefed about the WCO CEN Charter regarding the need for increased data collection and analysis in the IPR field.
The progress report on the implementation of the WCO COVID-19 Action Plan in relation to IPR matters was presented to Members, who received it very positively. Members encouraged the WCO Secretariat to continue with awareness-raising campaigns, capacity building activities and Operations targeting illicit goods such as vaccines, medicines and medical supplies related to COVID-19.
The Meeting included a Joint Session with the private sector to foster the exchange of views and comments between Customs authorities and private sector representatives. During this session, the outcomes of the 8th Rights Holders Consultative Group Meeting were reported, and a fruitful discussion was held regarding new developments with the IPR CENcomm Group and emerging technologies that could be used by Customs administrations in the fight against counterfeit goods.
The CAP Group was established in 2009 as the basis for a forum to develop a dialogue mechanism among Customs administrations to exchange views, experiences, practices and initiatives on border measures to be taken in respect of goods that infringe Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), such as trademarks or copyrights, through counterfeiting or pirating, and discuss possible WCO Capacity Building activities for Members requesting assistance in this area.
Contact us: IPRteam@wcooomd.org