Brand protection really matters as technological advancements and inventions painstakingly achieved through complicated research and development process become easy prey for the “highly organized” con men. Against this explosive backdrop, participants at the first Arab Consumer and Brand Protection Forum in Jeddah were in unison calling for well-coordinated action between the public and the private sectors to win the war against the “sophisticated syndicates” behind the proliferation of fake products. On the second day of the three-day forum on Monday, participants expressed approval on the Kingdom's determination to crack down on counterfeiters and intellectual property pirates. “The fact that the first Arab Consumer and Brand Protection Forum is held in Saudi Arabia shows the government's strong political will to tackle the global phenomenon” that hurts the economy and victimizes innocent and unsuspecting customers, forum delegates interviewed by the Saudi Gazette said. In the absence of official statistics on the value of counterfeit goods, sources said around two percent of an estimated $500 billion annual global trade are pirated and fake goods. As this developed, the Forum will launch today (Tuesday) a new set of guidelines that have been developed in cooperation with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP). The guidelines will be introduced to key players in the region for the first time and aim to establish stronger benchmarks for protecting intellectual property rights (IPR). Dr. Badr Al-Badr, managing director of Cisco Saudi Arabia and a keynote speaker at the forum, said: “Technology plays a crucial role in enabling collaboration between customs authorities, enforcement bodies, regulators, ministry of commerce and other government agencies to ensure they are able to communicate and share information so as to better enforce IP protection. Cisco has an experienced and well-developed Brand Protection team whose global footprint demonstrates the company's commitment to protecting IP rights around the world.” He added that the forum also promises to bring about stronger government support and strengthen consumer awareness on the importance of IPR and commercial fraud. Participants interviewed by the Saudi Gazette said though they also admitted that complete eradication of counterfeit and pirated goods “is impossible”, nonetheless “capacity building coupled with appropriate legislations” would thwart their escalation. Capacity building, in this context, is better training and knowledge of both customs and police officials in the field of IPR, piracy and counterfeit materials. Christophe Zimmermann, technical officer, Compliance and Facilitation Directorate coordinator, Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy at the World Customs Organization based in Brussels, said that interaction between the customs and police agencies is vital to achieve better results in confiscating pirated goods and raiding suspected dens. He noted that customs police tasks of monitoring illicit goods are limited to physical objects coming on the borders, hence there is a need for intensified coordination with the police force who are responsible for the activities in the “internal markets.” “Right now, we have two highly-trained dogs that can sniff and identify ingredients that are used in the production of CDs,” he added. Martin Lerigo, senior manager brand protection of Cisco Systems Ltd. for Asia-Pacific and Japan, told the Saudi Gazette that Cisco takes the issue of the counterfeit product market very seriously. He said Cisco actively monitor the counterfeit market and have long-standing processes in place to address this challenge to safeguard the interest of its customers. As part of its brand protection commitment, Cisco also has a global team that “works closely with the law enforcement bodies of countries were we operate … in the legal, diplomatic, and investigation levels.” Cisco's technical experts are also teaching and sharing information to local authorities on how to detect pirated and counterfeit products online. Lerigo stressed that public education and awareness campaign program is an indispensable tool to address the phenomenon. “Public and private partnership along with strong political will” is an effective means to tackle the pervasive counterfeiting and piracy business, he added. “As part of our commitment to the integrity and quality of Cisco technology and services, our Brand Protection team leads a proactive, concerted and company-wide effort to prevent potential damage to our brand and to our customers as a result of counterfeiting,” said Mike Watson, director of Brand Protection for Cisco. Moreover, Al-Badr emphasized that the best way not to fall prey to devious tactics of illegal traders and buy fake goods is by “buying only from authorized outlets,” adding that “if, however, a customer bought a fake item, Cisco will trace, identify and help prosecute” the culprit. Cisco's investment in the Kingdom reaches SR1 billion over five years. Cisco Systems' five-year investment in the Kingdom are distributed in the following areas: q Increase overall headcount of Cisco Systems employees in Saudi Arabia from approx. 70 to 600 employees. q Provide leasing and other financial solutions to Cisco Systems customers and partners in the country through Cisco Systems Capital, a division of Cisco Systems, Inc. q Develop a Cisco Systems Technology and Entrepreneurship Innovation Center to demonstrate the positive impact technology has on productivity across the different vertical markets. q Cisco Systems will also sponsor a Saudi technology innovation and entrepreneurship institute, incubation space for local start-ups, research and development activities , labs and demonstration centers and an academic chair in entrepreneurship. q Provide the equipment, training, education and support required to network 2000 homes in Saudi Arabia's underprivileged communities in support of similar public-private efforts, such as those led by King Abdullah. q Establish 100 more Networking Academies in the country to provide enhanced technical programs in concert with leading local universities . There are currently 42 networking academies across Saudi Arabia, and the additional 100 Networking Academies will be rolled out over the next five years. q Expand the existing Cisco Systems Networking Academy program by establishing a “Netversity” in Saudi Arabia which will partner with public education organizations and provide advanced business and technical training to align Saudi youth with the needs of world-class employers. With the collective efforts, customers will not be at the mercy anymore of the commercial doctrine “caveat emptor”. This time, the private, government and consumers alike are jointly tackling the issue of counterfeit and pirated goods. __
