World Anti-Counterfeiting Day: Ukrainians make their conscious choice in favor of the original goods!
This year the World Anti-Counterfeiting Day, commemorated by the global community, was held on Thursday, June 6. Established in 1998 by the Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group (GACG Network), it encompasses numerous activities carried out across different countries of the world and focusing on global aspects of IPR infringement and emphasizing the global need in enhanced joint anti-counterfeiting efforts.
Ukraine joined this educational movement in 2012 by having launched the awareness-raising campaign “Anti-Counterfeiting and Anti-Piracy Days in Ukraine” at the initiative of Ukraine Alliance Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (UAACP) and with the support of government authorities. For all these seven years the campaign has been actively supported by Pakharenko & Partners IP and Law Firm whose active social position is a driver for conducting numerous activities for the representatives of public authorities and business, students, pupils and media.
During seven years of the campaign around 50 various activities have been held, not only in Kyiv but also in other big cities such as Lviv, Odesa, Vinnytsya, Rivne, covering around 25,000 persons. During these events the participants had an opportunity to familiarize with the samples of counterfeit and pirated goods of the UAACP Museum of Counterfeits while the most curious participants could test their consumer skills and try to identify counterfeit features of the goods.
June 5, the VI International IP Forum was held at the Premior Palace Hotel in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Ukraine Alliance Against Counterfeiting and Piracy has become an active participant of the event. In frames of the Forum the UAACP expert, Veronika Berezanska, has conducted an exclusive express masterclass on “How to distinguish the original goods from counterfeits” dedicated to the World Anti-Counterfeiting Day.
The samples used in the masterclass included counterfeits and original goods of famous global brands. Participants and guests of IPF-VI, using the real objects, learned how to distinguish the original goods from the counterfeits and found out how not to become a victim of fraud and avoid purchasing fake goods.
The main point was for the fellow lawyers to realize that buying counterfeit goods cannot only result in the damage to their health but also means support for the shadow business and organized crime thus causing damage to the country’s economy and affecting security and welfare of each citizen of Ukraine.
Before the workshop there was an occasion to talk to Taras Topolya, the frontman of a popular Ukrainian band “Antytila”. Taras has deep understanding of the issue since he has his own negative experience of purchasing counterfeit medicines for Ukrainian troops taking part in the Joint Forces Operation. We hope that Taras will become a reliable friend of the Ukrainian awareness-raising campaign.
