20 May 2017Ed Conlon and Sarah Morgan

Sessions to Watch: Counterfeit Goods and Enforcement

On Monday at 3:30pm, China and Africa will take center stage in two concurrent sessions that both incorporate some focus on counterfeiting.

In CM50  A Passage out of China—Is It Any Easier?, led by Timothy Golder (Allens, Australia), there will be an update on Chinese trademark law and practice, including the impact on foreign companies manufacturing there.

Providing a range of views from both inside and outside China, the speakers in this session are Jimmy Huang (Zhong Lun Law Firm, China); Scott R. Miller (MBM Intellectual Property Law LLP, Canada); Dan Plane (SIPS - Simone Intellectual Property Services Asia Ltd., Hong Kong SAR, China); and Volker Schmitz-Fohrmann (Boehmert & Boehmert, Germany).

The speakers will cover issues including strategies for trademark registration—with emphasis on clearing the path for export—and using registrations in enforcement actions to prevent unauthorized exports. They will also consider the use of creative legal strategies to thwart the sale or marketing of counterfeits.

At the same time, the RM50  Regional Update: Protection and Enforcement Strategies in Africa will provide updates on a range of developments in that continent.

Along with assessing recent groundbreaking case law in Africa, the effectiveness of the Madrid Protocol and its implementation by African registries, the session will cover anticounterfeiting strategies, focusing on jurisdictions without counterfeit goods legislation.

The session, moderated byNolwazi Gcaba (Adams & Adams, South Africa), will include panelists Godfrey Budeli and Darren Olivier (Adams & Adams, South Africa); Vanessa Ferguson (Kisch IP, South Africa); and Monique Gieskes (Vlisco Netherlands B.V., Netherlands).

Issues facing brand owners in their attempts to tackle the problem of shipments of counterfeit goods is next on the agenda, on Tuesday at 10:15am in CT02  Potential Liability of Intermediaries in the Real World.

Industry experts will also discuss the efforts being made by the shipping industry to help ensure the goods they transport are not fake.

Executives at two global brands will discuss the issues in dealing with shipments of counterfeit goods, both by sea freight and small packages by air. Isabelle Madec (Clarins, France) and Valerie Sonnier (Louis Vuitton Malletier, France) are part of the panel of speakers, which also includes Toe Su Aung (Elipe Limited, United Kingdom).

Jose Luis Arnaut (CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut, Portugal), will moderate the discussion. It will also focus on how brand owners are working with the maritime industry to improve their “know your customer” policy without affecting their ability to do business quickly.

Later the same day, at 11:45am, the scale and impact of online counterfeiting is the highlight of

CT20  Strategies for Online Brand Protection.

Brand protection experts will consider the threat of online counterfeiting, including its global scale and current challenges faced.

Stanislas Barro (Novartis, Hong Kong SAR, China) will moderate the session, which will also focus on the importance and limits of awareness and cooperation initiatives. This includes consumer education, position papers, and roundtables.

Registrants will hear from Olivier De Combret (Chanel SAS, France); Louise Delcroix (eBay Asia Pacific, Singapore); John Kim (Lee & Ko, South Korea); and Eli Musfisovski (REACt, Balkans).

The importance of suitable enforcement means, such as regulatory, investigative, and judiciary, will also be part of the discussion.

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