Preview: IACC Spring Conference 2017
More than 300 IP professionals will convene in Barcelona, Spain, for the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC)’s annual Spring Conference, which takes place at the Hotel Arts Barcelona from May 17 to 19. The three-day event is a unique opportunity for the anti-counterfeiting industry to network with other IP professionals, government officials and business leaders, and to pursue discussions around attendees’ common commitment to IP protection.
IP enforcement, policy issues and the global distribution chain are at the top of the agenda.
The conference kicks off with member meetings, including the concurrent industry working group (IWG) meetings. Topics covered are apparel and footwear, electronics, cosmetics and personal care, in addition to content and media. IACC members participating in the organisation’s regional task forces and advisory groups will also have the opportunity to meet.
During the conference a panel of US and international IP attachés will host a dialogue with attendees to provide updates on IP enforcement and policy issues in their respective regions. This is a unique opportunity for attendees to share their concerns and ideas for better IP protection in a particular region and to expand their global network.
Roundtable sessions will provide attendees with the opportunity to develop relationships and discuss individual issues with representatives from law enforcement and intermediary companies from various countries in a small group setting.
The first keynote speaker, Eloy Quirós, commissioner general of the Spanish Judicial Police, is scheduled to speak on the second day of the conference. Josep Carles Llagostera, principal customs administrator at the Barcelona-El Prat Airport, is the second keynote speaker. Mr. Llagostera will address the audience on Friday, May 19.
Panel discussions
Attendees will have access to a number of high-level panel sessions. In one session panellists will highlight connections between the North Africa region and its European neighbours across the Mediterranean, and offer best practices for brand protection programmes in the region. This panel will also provide insight and experiences of tackling counterfeits in Africa, and its growing importance as a production source, a distribution hub, and a consumer market for counterfeit goods.
Other sessions include discussions surrounding counterfeiters’ strategies and tactics for goods in transit; industry’s and government’s efforts to track, find and enforce against online counterfeiting; and inter-agency government coordination in IP enforcement.
On May 19, panel sessions will focus on data privacy and how it affects IP enforcement. The impact of these laws on the investigation and enforcement of IP offences has become increasingly relevant to rights holders and the investigators they engage. This panel will examine positive and negative effects of data privacy laws on brand protection efforts.
Attendees will also discuss global challenges and creative solutions for the online marketplace. The discussion will touch on what brands and platforms can do to work together regarding issues faced by each side, and how to effectively and efficiently resolve these issues through collaboration, the creation and adoption of new tools to improve detection and enforcement, and more.
Register for the Spring Conference here.
