Intellectual Property and Customs Enforcement – A Regional Project for Europe

On January 26, Meridian International and the United States Department of State welcomed 14 participants to the United States to share knowledge on the best practices in the area of intellectual property and customs enforcement. The participants came from a variety of nations across Europe, each bringing a unique perspective and background to the topic. Throughout their visit, participants worked to examine the scope of China’s increasing influence, learn about the importance of establishing high threshold customs screening procedures, and discuss areas of international cooperation. During their ten-day program, participants engaged with a range of different organizations to gain a diverse understanding of how to best combat this global issue.

In Washington, the participants had the chance to meet with numerous different divisions at the U.S. Department of State. To start their day in Foggy Bottom, participants engaged with Economic Officers to discuss the multitude of aspects involved in intellectual property rights enforcement and met with the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Department of Justice to share knowledge on how to best prosecute intellectual property crimes. Many of the participants then had the chance to engage in discussions with their respective Desk Officers to learn about the State Departments program in each of their nations. Additionally, the group met with various private sector representatives, such as the Pharmaceutical Security Institute, to learn how they are working with dozens of international manufacturers to protect the counterfeiting of medical products.

Participants learned about a variety of perspectives on this complex issue, through meetings with different public, private, and NGO organizations. Building on the knowledge the group learned through their diverse set of meetings in Washington, they then traveled to New York City, where they had the unique opportunity to meet with United States Customs and Border Protection at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).  The group toured the facility at JFK and learned about some of the techniques used on the front lines at one of our nation’s busiest points of entry. Through the group's interactions with numerous experts in the area of intellectual property protection, the participants gained a broader understanding of the work being done by domestic organizations to help protect the integrity of U.S. businesses and products.

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