Copyright-­‐  This  confidential  report  is  the  Intellectual  property  of  the  WAITO  Foundation  all  rights  reserved.  No  part  of  this  publication  may  be  reproduced  or  diffused  under  any  form  or  by  any  means,  including  photocopies  and  recordings,  or  by  any  information  storage  or  recovery  system.    

Foreword  (by  Kunio  Mikuriya,  Secretary  General  of  the  World  Customs  Organization)    

 The   volume   of   illegally   trafficked   goods,   irresolute   criminal   legislations,   the   lack   of  consumer  information,  and  technological  development  all  contribute  to  the  escalation  of  counterfeiting   and   piracy.   One   only   needs   to   look   at   the   results   of   two   major  international  operations,  Operations  TIGRE  and  FRED  60,  carried  out   in  April  and  May  2011  by  the  World  Customs  Organization.    Operation  TIGRE,   from  11   to   15  April   2011,   involved  9   countries   and  13  ports   in   the  Central   America   and   Caribbean   region.   In   5   days,   more   than   3.5   million   counterfeit  products  were  intercepted,  including  19  tonnes  of  insecticides,  151,020  bottles  of  body  products   and   creams,   176,000   medicines,   648,000   spare   mobile   phone   parts   and   2  machines   used   to  manufacture   counterfeit   cigarettes.   It   would   appear   that   organized  crime   is   becoming  more   diverse   and,   in   particular,   targets   products  with   an   effect   on  consumer  health  and  safety.      Operation   Fred   60,   carried   out   from   9   to   13   May   2011   in   West   and   Central   Africa,  brought  together  20  countries  and  21  ports.  In  5  days,  125  containers  were  intercepted  containing   some   43   million   counterfeit   products:   more   than   8   million   medicines,  hundreds  of   thousands  of  spare  vehicle  parts,   thousands  of   toothpaste  tubes,  alcoholic  drinks,  food  products,  etc.    The   results   of   these   two   operations   alone,   confirm   this   as   being   a   major   pandemic  phenomenon.  The  only  way  of  overcoming  it  is  to  act  together  and  on  a  global  scale.      The  WCO  has  put  forward  a  concrete  action  plan  focusing  on  two  main  areas.      The   first   is   to   strengthen   the   capacities   of   customs   authorities,   through   a   committed  policy   on   education   on   legal   and   practical   aspects   in   developing   and   least   developed  countries,   which   are   prime   targets   for   counterfeiters,   by   promoting   risk   analysis  techniques.   To   this   end,   between   2010   and   2011,   the   Japanese   government   financed  training  in  some  140  countries.      The   second   focus   is   on   communication   between   stakeholders,   in   particular   customs  authorities,  the  private  sector  and  non-­‐governmental  organizations.      A  taskforce  on  counterfeiting  and  piracy  (CAP)  made  up  of  customs  representatives,  has  been  set  up  by  the  WCO  to  enable  customs  authorities  to  exchange  opinions,  experiences,  good  practices  and  initiatives.    Participants  also  include  the  members  of  the  Rights  Holders  Consultative  Group,  a  think  tank   attached   to   the   WCO   Secretariat,   which   works   collecting   the   opinions   of  stakeholders,   to  assist   in   taking   informed  decision.  This   is  not  an   institutional  body  of  the  WCO  in  the  same  capacity  as  the  technical  committees,  but  a  WCO  Secretariat  debate  and   advice   mechanism.   The   purpose   of   the   Rights   Holders   Consultative   Group   is   to  provide  the  WCO  with  the  direction  it  needs  to  effectively  address  the  practical  needs  of  

Copyright-­‐  This  confidential  report  is  the  Intellectual  property  of  the  WAITO  Foundation  all  rights  reserved.  No  part  of  this  publication  may  be  reproduced  or  diffused  under  any  form  or  by  any  means,  including  photocopies  and  recordings,  or  by  any  information  storage  or  recovery  system.    

rights   holders   to   fight   against   counterfeiting   and   piracy,   and   to   offer   a   forum   for  exchange  on  cooperation  between  rights  holders  and  customs  officials.      To  this  end,  the  WCO  has  developed  an  interface  known  as  the  Interface  Public-­‐Members  (IPM).  This  is  a  user-­‐friendly  and  functional  instrument  that  provides  frontline  customs  officials  with  all  the  information  required  to  identify  counterfeit  or  pirated  products.  In  addition   to   information   on   the   products,   IPM   provides   information   on   regular   supply  routes,   packaging   characteristics,   previous   cases   of   counterfeiting,   rights   holders’  contact   information  in  each  country  and  information  on  distinctions  between  originals  and  fakes.      While  the  WCO  focuses  on  operational  aspects,  it  is  also  important  to  build  relationships  that   enable   the   up-­‐stream   consideration   of   issues.   To   this   end,   the  WCO   has   recently  established   an   agreement   protocol   with   the   WAITO   Foundation,   to   assist   in   raising  awareness  about  this  phenomenon  and  in  defining  an  effective  policy  to  fight  organized  crime.      I   am   convinced   that   this   agreement   protocol   between   the   WCO   and   the   WAITO  Foundation,  the  activities  of  the  latter  and  this  report  provide  solid  foundations  for  the  establishment  of  a  just  and  safe  society.      

     

Copyright-­‐  This  confidential  report  is  the  Intellectual  property  of  the  WAITO  Foundation  all  rights  reserved.  No  part  of  this  publication  may  be  reproduced  or  diffused  under  any  form  or  by  any  means,  including  photocopies  and  recordings,  or  by  any  information  storage  or  recovery  system.