WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Yesterday, Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath of Curacao and Bob Barchiesi, President of the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC), held an official meeting to reinforce and strengthen their partnership, to discuss tactics to advance the country’s fight against counterfeiting and to highlight the vital role intellectual property (IP) protection plays in countries’ economies. IACC President Bob Barchiesi also met with Dr. I.S. (Steven) Martina, Minister of Economic Development of Curacao, and Mr. Quincy C.O. Girigorie, Minister of Justice of Curacao.
As Curacao’s economy continues to expand, it will be critical to ensure that the country’s free trade zones, the Airport Economic Zone and the Harbor Economic Zone remain safe for businesses to operate. The Harbor Economic Zone itself is a major trading distribution center for more than 30 million consumers in the Caribbean. Promoting the flow of legitimate goods while enforcing against illegitimate products, such as fakes, is essential to creating a secure environment for businesses to operate and grow.
“Curacao aims to be a globally recognized compliant jurisdiction, providing substance and value-added services. In the case of its economic zones, Curacao positions itself as the market of choice for high-value brands and services,” said Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath.
“Curacao’s free trade zones provide significant opportunities for legitimate businesses and play a critical role in global trade. Our discussions reflect a mutual commitment to establishing strong border control measures with an emphasis on combatting illicit trade,” said IACC President Bob Barchiesi. “We partner with governments around the world to promote dialogue and solutions to address the global counterfeiting problem, and we look forward to being a continued resource in IP protection to Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath and his administration.”
The IACC and the government of Curacao established a partnership in 2014, when the IACC and Curinde (which is under the supervision of the Minister of Economic Development in Curacao) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Since then, the IACC has worked closely with the government to conduct anti-counterfeiting trainings and provide legislative recommendations for effective anti-counterfeiting enforcement.
The IACC continues to be a strong advocate for IP protection in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2016, in partnership with UL (Underwriters Laboratories), the IACC launched the Latin America Regional Brand Protection Summit, a groundbreaking event that brought together government officials from 15 countries in the region, the intellectual property community and international law enforcement agencies. The IACC and UL are organizing a second summit, which will be held in Orlando, Florida in October 2018. The Curacao government was an active participant in the 2016 summit and has been invited to the 2018 event.
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About IACC
The IACC (www.iacc.org) is a Washington, DC-based not for profit organization representing the interests of companies concerned with trademark counterfeiting and the related theft of intellectual property. The members of the IACC include many of the world’s best-known brands across all product sectors. The IACC has played a leading role in the development of cross-industry voluntary agreements, to address the illicit trafficking of counterfeit and pirated goods online, including its IACC MarketSafe and RogueBlock initiatives.
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