Anti-Counterfeiting

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) came into effect on January 1, 2021 and is the largest trade area in the world by number of participating countries since the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The objectives outlined in article 3 of the treaty include the establishment of a common market for products and services, a regional customs authority, enhancing the competitiveness of member states’ economies both in Africa and globally, and promoting industrial development.

Today we launch Inventa IP Review, an annual compilation with the main Intellectual Property (IP) topics of the previous year, through opinion articles and relevant announcements.

A year has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented disruption in global development. But in some way, it also allowed us to be more resilient and find new routes of communicating.

The path of Intellectual Property was no different.

While businesses are exposed to significant challenges in Africa, Daniel Reis Nobre and Inês Monteiro Alves untangle IP misconceptions surrounding the continent.

Protecting trademarks should be a priority when starting a new business. However, many entrepreneurs do not consider this, which can lead to unpleasant consequences.

The production of counterfeit goods is common in the trademark field as it is a business opportunity based on the consumer’s inability to identify second-generation goods.

Laws surrounding this activity include:

Organized by The General Tax Administration (AGT) of Angola and with the cooperation of the World Customs Organization (WCO), last February it took place the workshop on "Techniques for Identifying Counterfeit Products and Risk Analysis" held in Luanda.

Cape Verde hosted the Seminar "Smuggling and falsification of products as crimes preventing money laundering and financing of terrorism".

At this event, that brought together a wide range of local and international representatives from Intellectual Property community, Diana Pereira had the opportunity to share Inventa International's experience in this area, based on case studies that sparked debate among the participants.

On the 22nd and 23rd October Cape Town received the 2019 International Law Enforcement Intellectual Property Crime Conference.

This event was co-hosted by INTERPOL and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, South African Police Service, in partnership with (UL) Underwriters Laboratories and the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC).

ANJAP’s Commission for Intellectual Property and New Technologies organized the Conference 'The New CPI 2018', which took place in the Judicial Police auditorium in Lisbon.

This initiative had the purpose to provide trainee’s and young lawyers with a better knowledge of the new Portuguese Industrial Property Code, that came into force in July this year.

Vítor Palmela Fidalgo was one of the speakers at this Conference, where he spoke about some specifics concerning the new legal frame for Trademarks.