2nd IACC-UL LATAM Summit an Overwhelming Success!

On October 17-19, the IACC and UL, in partnership with INTERPOL, hosted the second Latin America Regional Brand Protection Summit. This one-of-a-kind event, which took place in Orlando, FL, gathered 225 attendees from almost 30 countries around the world. The Summit allowed for valuable information sharing and for brands and industry experts to connect with more than 60 government officials coming from at least 20 countries throughout Latin America. Delegates from Canada, Japan, The Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, the United Kingdom and United States also participated in the event.

This year’s Summit explored the ways in which the private and public sectors can effectively work together to protect businesses and consumers in Latin America from dangerous counterfeit products.

Conference Highlights

• The IACC and UL introduced INTERPOL as a partner at this year’s Summit.
• The conference welcomed a wide range of enforcement and industry participants from the LatAm region including: Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
• Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) brought two dozen front line law enforcement personnel from eight different Latin American countries as part of their TCIU program, thereby promoting teamwork between HSI and their host countries, as well as exposure to brand partners for future collaboration.
• Attendees heard perspectives on IP policies in the U.S. and Latin America from esteemed speakers from the White House Administration, Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and the FBI, including: Derek Benner (U.S. Homeland Security), Brenda Smith (U.S. Customs and Border Protection), Aaron Seres (FBI), Segundo Leoncio Mejía Montenegro (National Police of Peru) and Vishal Amin (The White House).
• During the event, the IACC signed a memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) with The Brand Protection Group, which solidified both groups’ commitment to strengthening anti-counterfeiting efforts in the region. This is just another example of the IACC’s commitment to enlisting partners in the fight against fakes.
• The Spanish/Portuguese version of the IACC’s law enforcement training app was launched at the event. The app provides law enforcement officials with real-time product line information, country-specific best practices in enforcement and important IP protection guidelines. For more information, please email iacc_trainings@iacc.org.

Conference Firsts:

• A government fair was held during the event. This unique opportunity allowed attendees to speak directly with country representatives about their nation’s IP policies and enforcement.
• Also new for this year’s event was the addition of brand training. This exercise allowed trademark owners to directly educate attendees, particularly government and enforcement officials, about their products and associated counterfeiting issues.

Due to the overwhelming success of the Summit and demand from government and industry, the IACC and UL will host the Summit again on October 2-4, 2019 in Orlando. INTERPOL will also continue to be a Summit partner.

The IACC supports enforcement agencies in Latin America and beyond, and stands ready to facilitate the partnerships necessary to overcoming counterfeiting. Latin America plays a vital role in international trade and is therefore a key region in the fight against fakes. Looking ahead, the IACC will continue to play a leading role in the development of cross-industry collaboration in the Latin American region to combat counterfeiting and piracy.

Partner and Sponsor Recognition

The IACC thanks UL for its continued partnership and efforts to make this year’s Summit a success. Special thanks also go to the IACC Latin America Task Force, Latin America Advisory Group, the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security for their assistance and support.

Event Sponsors:

• Diamond – De La Rue, UL
• Gold – Yellow Brand Protection
• SilverÐ Amazon, Alpvision, Estee Lauder
• Bronze – Coty Inc

Media Partners: IPPro the Internet, WIPR, Marcasur, and IP Magazine

Organization Partner: ASIPI

Images highlighting the conference can be found here.