Global Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Congress to Meet in Paris

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry will be joined by his counterparts at INTERPOL, Mr. Ronald K. Noble, and the World Custom’s Organization (WCO), Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, as well as France’s Minister of Economy, Mrs. Christine Lagarde, at the opening of the Sixth Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy in Paris on February 2, 2011 to address the question of building respect for intellectual property in a balanced and sustainable way.  A number of ministers from around the world are expected to attend the Congress, in addition to other top government officials and corporate leaders. 

Hosted by France’s National Industrial Property Institute (INPI - Institut national de la propriété industrielle) and chaired by WIPO, the Congress is co-convened by INTERPOL and WCO, in co-operation with the world’s business community represented by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) through its BASCAP (Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy) initiative, and the International Trademark Association (INTA). The Congress is being held under the High Patronage of the President of the French Republic.

Under the theme ”Building Respect for IP: Sustainable Solutions to a Global Problem,” discussions at the Global Congress will focus on a balanced approach to combating counterfeiting and piracy, including with a view to underscoring the link between building respect for intellectual property and sustainable development. Overall, the Congress will seek to create a better understanding of the elements underlying the trade in illegitimate goods, and to discuss sustainable solutions to stop it.  

Discussions will be wide-ranging – from the growing menace associated with internet trade to the role of corporate responsibility in nurturing respect for IP. It will be anchored in the theme of the Congress, to find sustainable solutions that take account of the role and rights of stakeholders, as well as the cost to them, of fighting counterfeiting and piracy.

The Global Congress has become a leading global forum for building cooperation to enhance public awareness – and concerted action – to successfully confront counterfeiting and piracy. It brings together government ministers and policy-makers, business leaders, senior law enforcement officials, judges and lawyers, stakeholders from intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), consumer groups and members of academia.  

Details of previous meetings and the Sixth Global Congress, including the program and list of speakers, are available at www.ccapcongress.net.

Media accreditation is available at http://www.ccapcongress.net/press.htm.