Embargoed Until 0800 CET 8Th June 2016

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PRESS RELEASE

Embargoed until 0800 CET 8th June 2016

The 2016GAC Awards

The annual GAC Awards reflect the continuing development of the campaign to combat the international trade in fakes. The geographical spread of winners shows the world-wide importance of working together to build respect for the value of creativity, innovation and enterprise, and to improve best practices for enforcement. The growing sophistication of organisations in using research and information to influence both public awareness and government authorities is evident. Combining different strategies and using the latest technologies successfully is also recognised.

The winners of the eighteenth annual Global Anti-Counterfeiting Awards, co-sponsored byManaging Intellectual Property and the Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group (GACG) Network were announced in Paris today on World Anti-Counterfeiting Day. The awards were made as a continuing recognition of special achievements by organisations, companies and individuals. The winners(details in attached note) announced today, are:

Individual Achievement

Lorne M Lipkus

Kestenberg Siegal Lipkus LLP

Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network

National Public Body Award

The Enforcement and Supervision Department of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China

International Public Body Award

Building Respect for IP Division

World Intellectual Property Organisation

Company Award

IP Team

Longchamp

Association Award
Ukraine Alliance Against Counterfeiting and Piracy

Media Award

Kathy Chu

Wall Street Journal

Technology Award

Custodian Solutions

For Unilever

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John Anderson, Chairman of the GACG network of national and regional anti-counterfeiting organisations said “The awards this year again highlight the wide range of co-operation that is needed – and provided - by different organisations 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.”

James Nurton, managing editor of Managing Intellectual Property, said: “We are pleased to sponsor and support this year’s Global Anti-Counterfeiting Awards. 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 recognised in this year’s Awards have demonstrated achievements that go beyond the norm, and they deserve congratulations on their recognition.”

The awards presentations were made in Paris on 8th June at the Museé de Contrefaçon, housed at the Headquarters of the Union des Fabricants (Unifab)on World Anti-Counterfeiting Day. Some of the award winners were present to receive their trophies.

For further information contact:

Managing Intellectual PropertyGACG Network

James NurtonJohn Anderson

Phone: +44 20 7779 8685+44 7771860101

Email: @btinternet.com

/Note to Editors…………….

Note to Editors

Details of 2016 Award Winners

Individual Achievement

Lorne M. Lipkus of Kestenberg Siegal Lipkus LLPis a founding partner of one of the oldest and most established boutique litigation firms in Toronto and is a founding and currently active member of the Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network (CACN). He has worked tirelessly at the forefront of the campaign against the trade in fakes in Canada and internationally. His firm specializes in all forms of IP law but is particularly known for effective anti-counterfeiting enforcement and he was pivotal in working with the Canadian government on more effective legislation. Beyond pure IP law enforcement work, Lorne has been increasingly involved in the education and training of law enforcement agencies and in raising the awareness of the public, government and related agencies about the mechanisms and needs for anti-counterfeiting enforcement.

National Public Body Award

The Enforcement and Supervision Department of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China,continuing a prestigious list of Chinese winners of this award, has been recognised for undertaking, co-ordinating and managing national anti-counterfeiting campaigns. Specifically the enforcement and supervision department set up the “Sharp Sword” campaign in 2015 which has shown significant success. The department also manages and programmes the operation of the national anti-counterfeiting hotline through which it has proactively communicated various aspects of ccounterfeiting to the general public. The department has streamlined co-operation with the Ministry of Public Security; improved mechanisms deal with the challenges of e-commerce platforms; and already announced plans to develop anti-counterfeiting projects in 2016.

International Public Body Award

The Building Respect for IP Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has successfully developed the concept of building respect for IP. Working through a UN framework of consensus, WIPO’s Building Respect for IP Division has developed a reputation for supporting a programme of work that acknowledges the importance of IP enforcement and the needs of emerging economies. As well as increasingly relevant meetings of the Advisory Committee on Enforcement in Geneva there is a growing list of diverse and effective activities involving training, technical assistance and co-operation with other IGOs on legislation and exchange of national experiences.

Company Award

The LongchampIP Team – small but dedicated team has delivered great results through the implementation of a clever strategy and recruitment of key members of the team. The nomination points to success well above the proportionate use of resources available; By effectively introducing an international policy of zero tolerance, this small team has had a very significant success with seizures and deterrence.

Association Award

The members of the Ukraine Alliance Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (UAACP) and notably the President have displayed great commitment in the fight against counterfeiting in Ukraine and beyond. Apart from specific support to members in Ukraine and the former soviet union, and to members of other groups as well, the UAACP has initiated major events and projects in Ukraine: International IP Forums; World Anti-Counterfeiting Day events attracting high level participation and wide press coverage; launch of an anti-counterfeiting museum in Kyiv; and training events for law enforcement agencies. UAACP was instrumental in setting up the EU Twinning project on IP enforcement and works closely with other international organisations such as ICC-BASCAP to exchange best practices on awareness, improvements to legislation and co-operation with government authorities generally.

Technology Award

Custodian Solutionsnominated by Unilever plc, have, in the space of two years, developed a most successful new platform for anti-counterfeiting evidence capture, management and enforcement. Working with customers, mainly large FMCG and pharmaceutical brands and with other partners, Custodian solutions have developed best practices with brands, professionals and investigators to capture and improve the evidence management process in order to improve the chances of success (and lessen the chances of failure) in IP infringement cases.

Media Award

Kathy Chu of the Wall Street Journal has written some clever and courageous articles on the subject of counterfeiting and piracy and has been particularly insightful in articles relating the operation of e-commerce platforms in China and the increasingly contentious issues surrounding the platforms’ claims to be tackling the problem.

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The Global Anti-Counterfeiting Awards are presented for outstanding achievement by organisations, companiesor individuals involved in combating counterfeiting and piracy, either to protect their own brands or products or in the development of an environment which encourages the combating of counterfeits and pirate products. The Awards are given in seven categories –National Public Body,International Public Organisation,Company,Association, Professional or or Technology Services User, Media andIndividual Achievement,

Counterfeit and pirated goods could cost the global economy up to €1.5 trillion per year according to some estimates, and this translates into loss of legal employment, lack of investment in new jobs and increased prices of legal goods. It also means less public funding for services such as health, education and social welfare. Many organisations, companies and individuals are taking effective action against these illicit, dangerous and sub-standard goods to protect consumers, promote investment in new jobs and increase government revenues, and to combat the involvement of organised crime. Some of them ‘go the extra mile’ and the GAC awards are recognition of these outstanding performances.

The awards are open to nominations from anyone with an interest in brand protection, anti-counterfeiting, and anti-piracy activities, particularly in the international context, ensuring a wide spread of nominations from across the world. The awards are judged by a panel from Managing Intellectual Property, the GACG Network, and representatives of previous award winners.

World Anti-Counterfeiting Day also now in it eighteenth year,was established by the GACG Network members to enable the organisation of local, national and regional events under the umbrella of an international campaign which could focus on the particular problems of counterfeiting and piracy in the countries or regions involved. The WAC Day events are usually held on the same day in summer each year but are individually organised by the national or regional associations themselves who may or may not take up themes suggested by the GACG or being used by other associations. Some industry associations have also organised publicity. In 2016, some events have already taken place on World IP Day – 26th April– in Germany for example,and many more are expected to co-incide with the event organised in Paris by the Union des Fabricants – includingthe UK and Denmark. There are related events in several other countriesincluding Ukraine, Finland and Spain.

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