Diversity in Building Respect for IP – ACE Concludes 12th Session
September 6, 2017
The 12th session of the WIPO Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE) came to a close on September 6, 2017. The 214 participants from 87 member states – the highest number in the history of the ACE – explored a variety of topics on building respect for intellectual property (IP).
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Video summary of the 12th session of the ACE.
Work program
The work program was addressed through 34 expert presentations, four panel discussions and continuous interactive engagement amongst the participants.
Diversity was key, both in the Committee’s substantive work and the backgrounds and perspectives of the speakers. Under the umbrella of “institutional arrangements concerning IP enforcement policies and regimes”, the Committee worked on five very practical topics:
- the environmentally safe disposal and destruction of IP infringing goods;
- IP enforcement coordination at the national and regional level;
- efficient court procedures;
- IP enforcement and private international law; and
- institutional arrangements to address online IP infringements.
Further work addressed the area of “awareness raising” – focusing on consumer attitudes and behavior as well as specific awareness-raising products or activities. The Committee also discussed “the legislative assistance provided by WIPO in the area of IP enforcement” and “capacity building and support from WIPO for training activities”.
Participants
The ACE was chaired by Mr. Héctor Manuel Balmaceda Godoy, Director General for Enforcement, National Directorate of Intellectual Property (DINAPI), Paraguay. The 38 speakers and panelists, who came from all regions of the world, represented a wide array of institutions: IP offices, customs, the police and specialized inspection units, the prosecution, the judiciary, ministries of education but also academia and research, international governmental organizations and the private sector.
Their well-founded and enriching presentations stimulated a fruitful exchange of views, information and ideas.
WIPO studies
Four WIPO-commissioned studies were presented during the session, namely:
- The environmentally safe disposal of IP infringing goods;
- The Intersection Between IP Law and Private International Law;
- Study on Approaches to Online Trademark Infringements; and
- WIPO Consumer Survey Toolkit on Respect for IP – Measuring Attitudes and Assessing the Effectiveness of Communications Campaigns.
ACE Exhibition
The twelfth session was accompanied by the exhibition Engaging Audiences to Build Respect – Awareness-raising Activities. Nine exhibitors from WIPO member states, together with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization, presented specific awareness-raising initiatives designed to change behavior among consumers.
The activities of the WIPO Building Respect for IP Division were also presented, including WIPO’s new educational web site on building respect for trademarks, developed with the support of the Japan Patent Office.
Future work
The Committee agreed to continue to consider, at its thirteenth session, the current work program based on “awareness-building activities and strategic campaigns”, “institutional arrangements concerning IP enforcement policies and regimes”, “WIPO’s legislative assistance” and “capacity building and support from WIPO for training activities”.