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IPR Trainings with Chennai Customs on 26th July 2017

Customs play a crucial role in stopping fake goods from reaching the Indian market, but at the start of this mandate on IPR enforcement a decade ago in 2007, the whole scenario appeared in a bleak state, as it is with every new reform. We have come a long way since then and to this extent where IPR enforcement has become an integral part of the customs’ curriculum & one of the top most priorities. Custom officers, who otherwise are vested with the role of revenue collection and to facilitate ease of doing business, have an onerous responsibility of balancing out the interests by keeping an effective control over the supply chain, targeting the risks through the very efficient Risk Management System that we have in place today, to ensure the safety and security of India and its consumers and to protect the integrity of Indian markets against counterfeits, fraud, illicit trade and spurious goods. The right- holders are experiencing a staggering growth in the influx of counterfeits through the Indian territorial borders which have prompted the need for conducting terminal training on detection and assessment of counterfeit/infringing goods.

The training was presided over by the Hon’ble Commissioner of Customs Mr. Rajan Chaudhary and attended by approximately 100 officers across the hierarchy including the Deputy Commissioners, Assistant  Commissioners,  Appraisers,  Superintendents,  Examiners,  Inspectors and other officers responsible for the physical examination of the consignment. The training was not only deliberated to upon to discuss the legal procedure and product identification of various brands, but also to pave way for the very constructive and fruitful cooperation that Indian customs have offered since the inception of IPR Rules.

Amongst the right-holders, there were popular brands like Apple, Nike, L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, ghd (Good Hair Day), L Brands (Victoria’s Secret, La Senza, Pink, Henri Bendel and Bath & Body Works), Monster Energy, LVMH Watches Brands (Tag Heuer, Hublot & Zenith), Audemars Piguet, Burberry, Polo Ralph Lauren, WD-40 and Nivea. In a step closer towards aligning the industrial resources with that of the Indian Customs, the right- holders endeavor to build the capacity of Indian Customs and strengthen the economy by fighting illegal imports and counterfeits.  Due to its strategic location, Chennai is critical for the transit of goods and the right-holders are positive that this training would lead to higher frequency of interdictions of infringing goods.