The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (National IPR Center) hosted USCIB members from the Anti-Illicit Trade (AIT), Customs and Trade Facilitation, and the Intellectual Property and Innovation Committees on March 12 to discuss intellectual property issues related to trade. Twenty-four participants ranging from USCIB members and staff to representatives from multiple U.S. government agencies (e.g., DHS, HSI, DOJ, FBI) and other government agencies (e.g., Mexico SAT) attended the meeting.

The National IPR Center National Program Manager, Charles Jackson, led an in-depth briefing on the approaches the IPR Center is taking to fight illicit trade, counterfeit and pirated goods and all related crimes. Through a wide spread global footprint, the IPR center is able to facilitate specific operations to focus on their three primary areas of concern: public health and safety, warfighters and the U.S. economy. Operation Chain Reaction and Operation Ingenuity are just two examples of projects that are utilized to target counterfeit items entering the U.S. military and automotive industry supply chains. The IPR Center applauded USCIB for establishing the new AIT Committee and its leadership in the OECD Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade.

The meeting provided a unique opportunity for USCIB to review the AIT Committee priorities and plan of action, and members to learn about the work of the National IPR Center and specific areas of focus, express views, voice concerns, as well as express interest in including cross-sectoral cooperation and information-sharing going forward.

“This is another step in strengthening public-private partnerships across sectors and promote engagement for future projects on this crucial issue,” noted Director for Customs and Trade Facilitation Megan Giblin.