National Workshop on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy in Honduras

By Bufete Mejia & Asociados

The World Customs Organization (WCO) organized a national workshop on border enforcement of intellectual property rights in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with the financial support of the Customs Cooperation Funds of China.

Led by a WCO accredited tema of experts, the workshop brought together 24 frontline supervisors and officers from the Honduras Customs Administration with experience in enforcement and risk management.

The objective of this workshop was to increase participants' knowledge on intelectual property rights legal framework in Honduras and to develop effective national enforcement strategies to best ensure its enforcement.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Marvin Kevin Pavón, Head of the Intelligence Department of Honduras Customs, expressed his administration's deep gratitude to the WCO and went on to say how important the protection of intellectual property was for the economy of his country. He urged the participants to participate very actively in the event and to take advantage of the offered opportunity to learn more about the WCO tools and instruments in the intellectual property field.

During the five-day workshop, participants could learn about the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the theoretical and practical concepts surrounding intellectual property rights risk management and the current global intellectual property rights infringement landscape.

The second day of the workshop was devoted to presentations from the private sector, either remotely or in person. Some seven right holders, representing a variety of brands, presented the essential characteristics of products bearing their trademarks and shared techniques that could be used by Customs officers to detect counterfeit goods at borders.

At the end of the workshop, participants were able to carry out targeted controls at Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport and the Port of Cortés (or Puerto Cortés) under the guidance of WCO experts. These enabled the participants to put into practice the theoretical concepts they had learned during the workshop. The airport controls resulted in the seizure of counterfeit goods, which was a source of great satisfaction for the participants.