WIPO Building Respect for IP Division receives Global Anti-Counterfeiting Award
June 8, 2016
At the 2016 Global Anti-Counterfeiting (GAC) Awards, WIPO’s Building Respect for Intellectual Property (BRIP) Division received the International Public Body Award. The GAC Awards, organized by the Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group (GACG) and Managing Intellectual Property, recognize special achievements by organizations, companies and individuals active in the fight against counterfeiting.
WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, welcomed the Award’s recognition of the importance of building respect for intellectual property (IP): “In this time of transition to the global knowledge economy, it is ever more important to raise awareness of the economic value and social importance of IP. Building respect for IP through a balanced combination of preventive actions and appropriate enforcement is an essential step towards making IP work for everyone.”
Fighting global counterfeiting
The ceremony took place on June 8, 2016 – World Anti-Counterfeiting Day – at the Museum of Counterfeiting in Paris, where seven awards were presented to a broad group of individuals, associations and institutions. All recipients were considered by a selection panel to have demonstrated notable success in contributing to the global fight against counterfeiting.
The award to the BRIP Division was made in recognition of its work in developing the balanced concept of “building respect for IP” and its diverse activities in capacity building, technical assistance and knowledge-sharing. The award also recognizes the increasing relevance of WIPO’s Advisory Committee on Enforcement. Mr. Xavier Vermandele, Senior Legal Counsellor, BRIP Division, accepted the award on behalf of WIPO.
"The awards this year again highlight the wide range of co-operation that is needed – and provided – by different organizations and individuals and especially across the public/private sector divide, in the campaign against the international trade in fakes. I am especially impressed once again with the emphases on both co-ordination between the public and private sectors and the importance of raising public awareness that was evident in many of the nominations."John Anderson, Chairman of the GACG
"Counterfeiting is a significant and growing challenge for all intellectual property owners, and tackling it requires a mixture of investigative resources, technology, enforcement and education. All those companies and individuals recognized in this year’s Awards have demonstrated achievements that go beyond the norm, and they deserve congratulations on their recognition." James Nurton, managing editor of Managing Intellectual Property