Global Secure Summit 2011 – Chairman’s Summary

• The number of counterfeit sales is increasing faster than the number of genuine sales. 
• There is sufficient data available regarding the link between counterfeiting / piracy and serious and organised crime as well as terrorist organisations. 
• More could be done to better distribute evidence regarding connections between counterfeiting / piracy and serious and organised crime as well as terrorist organisations; for example, to the media, law enforcement and academic institutions. 
• Businesses should involve consumers in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy. PR campaigns should be more attractive and “less cheesy”. A tougher approach to enforcement is also essential, for example, by criminalising the possession of counterfeited or pirated goods.
•  When deciding to act against counterfeiting / piracy, governments are balancing economic interests. The advantages of acting against counterfeiting / piracy are not always clear to governments, whereas “not acting” may result in more traffic of goods, also more data traffic in relation to digital goods.
•  A holistic approach against counterfeiting is needed though there is no perfect solution. Activities such as enforcement, lobbying, litigation, education, negotiation, innovation and technical protection measures should all be part of a holistic strategy to address the counterfeiting and piracy problems.
•  Across the board, the consensus is that IPR litigation takes too long, especially in relation to digital piracy. This allows the crimes to continue while being discussed in court. Special IPR courts are needed, offering speedy procedures.
• Radio Frequency Identification technology as well as Near Field Communication technology are widely being applied. Three-billion integrated circuits have been deployed to protect against counterfeiting. An additional one-billion are ready for shipment next year. Companies who are not using this technology to protect themselves against counterfeiting are unnecessarily running more risks than needed, resulting in higher damages than their competitors.
• Criminal gangs involved in counterfeiting and piracy have become global criminal networks, with thanks to the internet. Law enforcement should decide to follow the money and strip the proceeds from these networks.
• Whenever law enforcement asks business for assistance when addressing counterfeiting and piracy problems, businesses should act faster, perhaps through their associations.
• There is consensus that in most regions in the world, there is willingness with governments to address piracy and counterfeiting issues. Government agencies may however, be lacking relevant resources or training.
• Some categories of counterfeiting and piracy should be kept separate from others considering the higher risk these categories pose to consumers, brands and society as a whole. They therefore deserve higher prioritisation. It should not be forgotten, however, that counterfeiting and piracy can severely damage the reputation, image and economic interests of individual companies, too.
• Technology vendors should not only present their technical solutions and how they theoretically and technically can prevent counterfeiting and piracy, but they should show more case studies and perhaps have their clients, previously victims of piracy counterfeiting, present on the advantages of these services, too.
• Overall research into the impact and effectiveness of anti-piracy and counterfeiting solutions would be appreciated. It can be difficult for non-technical customers to differentiate between the various products and solutions available and to which scenarios they apply.
• There will remain areas where government cannot easily step in to address the issues. In those cases businesses will need to develop their own intelligence and investigational platforms, engage in civil litigation and put pressure on third parties and distributors who both facilitate and profit from the continuation of large-scale counterfeiting and piracy activities, to have them cease their (intended and unintended) support of criminal activities. 

For more information about the Global Secure Summit and the matters discussed here, please contact the Summit Director at ritahatton@arena-international.com or on +44 (0)20 7936 6858.