Third Session of the ACE
The third session of the ACE was held in Geneva from May 15 to 17, 2006, with some 140 representatives from 57 member states, six intergovernmental and 18 non-governmental organizations. As in previous years, the meeting was chaired by Mr. Henry Olsson, Special Government Advisor, Ministry of Justice, Sweden.
As agreed at its second session, the Committees work in this session focused on the issue of education and awareness building, including training, in all areas of intellectual property enforcement. The Committee heard a series of presentations, based on documents WIPO/ACE/3/3 to WIPO/ACE/3/16, from 14 government experts as well as two experts representing music and trademark industry associations. These presentations by representatives of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Brazil, China, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nigeria, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka and Switzerland showed the extent of the problems caused by counterfeiting and piracy in different countries and the national efforts in developing strategies to curb such activities and find effective solutions. Issues of health and safety, strategic enforcement approaches, training and public outreach programs, national guidelines, foreign investment and institutional structures in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy were considered and discussed.
Following the discussions, the Committee adopted a number of conclusions (see document WIPO/ACE/3/17) stressing, inter alia, the importance of continued education and awareness raising, and the Committees appreciation for the ACE as a forum of exchange on enforcement, with a particular emphasis on coordination with other organizations and the private sector in the combat against counterfeiting and piracy. The meeting ended with a number of proposals for the future work of the ACE and it was agreed that its fourth session should consider an exchange of views on coordination and cooperation in enforcement matters at the international, regional and national levels.
