A new position paper has been published by INDICAM and UNICRI entitled “Dangerous Liaisons: Why IP Infringements Are the New Eldorado for Organized Crime”.

The paper summarises the evidence presented during a conference organised by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, EUIPO, UNICRI and INDICAM on 21 October last year. It is written by Claudio Bergonzi and Mariachiara Anselmino of INDICAM and Marco Musumeci of UNICRI.

The paper includes a preface by MP Alessia Morani, Undersecretary of State at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and President of the CNALCIS; an interview with Susan Wilson, Counselor for Intellectual Property, US Attaché to the EU; and conclusions by Paul Maier, Director of the EUIPO Observatory on IP Infringements.

Speaking about the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) in her interview, Susan Wilson said: “It is highly unfortunate in this context that IP crimes did not carry over among the identified priorities in the fight against serious international and organized crime for the current period through 2021.”

The “production and distribution of counterfeit goods violating health, safety and food regulations and sub-standard goods” was dropped from the EMPACT cycle from 2018 to 2021. Susan Wilson said: “Because the designation of EMPACT priorities has a major influence on European law enforcement efforts against organized crime, the removal of IP crime from the EMPACT priorities has been a major concern in IP rights enforcement circles."

In his conclusions, Paul Maier said the fight against IP crime should be an enforcement priority for the 2022-25 cycle of EMPACT: “To best face the threat of IP crime, coordination of IPR enforcement efforts is of the essence. Close cooperation between EU enforcement authorities and data exchanges, with all appropriate safeguards concerning data protection, is the only way to avoid gaps which criminals will be quick to take advantage of. The first step is to establish shared priorities to ensure that enforcement authorities’ efforts all go into the same direction.”

INDICAM is one of the stakeholders of the private sector of the Observatory, where MARQUES is also represented.

The position paper can be downloaded from INDICAM’s website here.