On 29 and 30 October 2024, the 21st Meeting of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Counterfeiting and Piracy (CAP) Group took place, bringing together more than 200 representatives of Customs administrations, Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILOs), Regional Offices for Capacity Building (ROCBs), international organisations and the private sector.
The WCO CAP Group was established in 2009 as a forum for Customs administrations to share their experiences, practices and initiatives on border measures to be adopted concerning goods that infringe intellectual property rights (IPRs) and/or are detrimental to consumer health.
In his opening remarks, the WCO Director for Compliance and Facilitation recalled that intellectual property was the foundation for innovation, driving progress in various fields. He also emphasised the role played by Customs in protecting IPRs at borders. Furthermore, he highlighted the growing importance of the WCO CAP Group meetings, particularly in health and safety.
The 21st Meeting began with a closed session for members and observers from international organisations, during which the activities carried out by the WCO and its members since the 20th meeting of the WCO CAP Group were discussed. In addition, the STOP III and Action IPR III Operations outcomes were presented, as well as the WCO CAP Group Work Programme for 2025-2026.
During the joint session, delegates listened keenly to the keynote address by the Director of the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights (EUIPO), which focused on the importance of partnerships for ensuring better IPR protection.
The WCO CAP Group addressed several topics, such as (i) the latest developments shared by partners in the fight against substandard and counterfeit pharmaceutical products, (ii) follow-up actions relating to the WCO Symposium on “removing counterfeits from e-commerce”; (iii) strategies to be developed to mitigate counterfeiting of car parts and ensure better protection for society; (iv) the possible connection between IPR crime and money laundering; and (v) enforcement challenges faced by rights holders (RHs) and Customs in Free Trade Zones (FTZs) concerning IPR protection.
As is customary, the CAP Meeting was preceded, on 28 October 2024, by the Rights Holders Consultative Group (RHCG) meeting. This event aims to promote the exchange of best practices and valuable information between RHs and the WCO Secretariat, especially regarding new trends and challenges encountered in trade, along with potential areas of cooperation between the public and private sectors to combat IPR infringements.
To conclude, the chairperson from the Mali Customs Administration took the floor to praise the high quality of discussions during the 21st Meeting. She also announced that her second and final term as chairperson of the WCO CAP Group had ended, taking this opportunity to express her sincere gratitude to all the delegates and the Secretariat for their exemplary cooperation throughout the past two (2) years.
More information on the WCO, IPR, Health and Safety Programme is accessible at:
https://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/enforcement-and-compliance/activities-and-programmes/ipr.aspx