On March 15, the Quality Brands Protection Committee of the China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment (QBPC) hosted the 2nd Cross Border IP Protection Forum in Hong Kong, which was supported by Hong Kong Customs (HK Customs). Cao Hongying, Executive Vice President of China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment delivered opening remarks. Li Dan, Deputy Director of IPR Division of General Operation Department of General Administration of Customs of China, Wong Chung-shun, Assistant Commissioner (Intelligence and Investigation) of HK Customs, and Michael Ding, QBPC Chair, delivered keynote speeches. Kevin Liu, QBPC Vice Chair, moderated the event.
Kelvin Liu
Cao Hongying
Li Dan
Wong Chung-shun
Michael elaborated on purposes and far-reaching significance of the Forum. He stressed that through in-depth exchanges with and learning from stakeholders around the world, member companies could acquire best practices from different jurisdictions.. Meanwhile, with the strong support of member companies and from the perspective of IP owners, the forum would promote in-depth cooperation across nations and regions, including intelligence sharing and examination support, which was in line with the MOU with HK Customs. Finally, as for participation and promotion of educational programs, he expected to continue raising awareness of IP protection among businesses, the public and the younger generation.
Michael Ding
Next, the following speakers shared their enforcement experience: Lee Chol Jae, Director General of Customs Investigation 1, Seoul Main Customs, Korea Customs Service; Nam Sokleang, Assistant Director of the Department of Customs Audit, General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia; Nantiya Pattamakijsakul, Customs Technical Officer, Practitioner Level Enforcement Division, Thailand Customs; and Hung Hon Wing, Head of Intellectual Property Investigation (Operations) Group, Hong Kong Customs,. Felix Avellan, Coordinator of IP Crime and Digital Piracy of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), explained in detail the Interpol's Illicit Goods and Global Health Program.
Lee Chol Jae
Nam Sokleang
Nantiya Pattamakijsakul
Hung Hon Wing
Felix Avellan
Following that, Daisy Ge, QBPC Customs Committee Vice Chair moderated the panel of Experiences in Cross-border Anti-Counterfeiting and Exploration of Multi-party Co-operation, in which four speakers introduced their cross-border anti-counterfeiting experiences and cooperation mechanism in cross-border law enforcement as well as making suggestions on how right holders could better cooperate with law enforcement authorities in dealing with cross-border anti-counterfeiting cases. So Kim Fai, Divisional Commander (Intellectual Property Transnational Investigation) of Hong Kong Customs, introduced the experience of HK Customs in combating counterfeiting cases in the container breaking yard through case study. Lin Yifan, Principal Staff Member of Guangdong Sub-Administration of GACC, outlined the challenges in cross-border anti-counterfeiting work and the Customs’ initiatives to strengthen IPR enforcement. Lin Yu, Director of IP Protection Division of Guangzhou Administration for Market Regulation, discussed the challenges in cross-border counterfeiting cases based on his experience, and focused on the characteristics of administrative protection and the successful exploration made by the Administration in the field. Becky Wang, Senior IP Manager APAC of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., shared new approaches for right holders to explore in cross-border anti-counterfeiting through case study, such as observing new trends, strengthening management of leads, and establishing new resources.
Panel 1
Last, Annick Wang, QBPC Internet Committee Chair, moderated a panel discussion on Hot Issues of Cross-border E-commerce IP Protection. Chi-wang Lam, Operations Coordinator of Illicit Goods and Global Health Program of the Interpol, introduced the work and functions of Interpol, its regular cooperation with the QBPC, and the overall trend of cross-border cases. Jonathan Selvasegaram, APAC Manager & Legal Counsel of React Asia Pacific, shared his views on the sources of clues for cross-border cases, the organizational structure of each country's law enforcement, and how they handle such cases. Felix Zhang, Associate Director Anti-Falsified Medicines, North Asia, Global Security of Novartis, presented on the status and trends of cross-border counterfeiting cases in the pharmaceutical industry and how to coordinate with different stakeholders from the brand owner's perspective. Dennis To, Lead Counsel, Intellectual Property, Employment& Litigation, APAC of Ralph Lauren, talkd about the status and trends of cross-border counterfeiting cases in the luxury goods industry and named the platforms and countries of concern, how to find sources of clues and the whole process of combating counterfeiting. During the free discussion session, the panelists answered questions about the role of online platforms in cross-border counterfeiting, whether the cross-border cases from online to offline were conducted smoothly and successfully, and the difficulties and suggestions for solutions.
Panel 2
To assist participants in acquiring and utilizing relevant knowledge, the forum also set up the Product Authenticity Identification Display Booth in the venue. Some member companies of QBPC briefed the participants on how to tell fake and counterfeit products while introducing the latest infringement and counterfeiting trends.
In recent years, with rampant cross-border IP cases, the increasingly close cooperation between relevant enforcement agencies and IP owners has undoubtedly instilled immense confidence into many rights holders, and strongly facilitated the process of cross-border IP protection. The forum will play an active role in building long-term cooperative relationships and rapid communication channels among all parties, forming a strong joint force to combat cross-border IP infringement and violations, achieving all-around IP protection, and thus maintaining a favorable business environment.
