IP/C/W/591  
 
18 September 2013  
(13-4938)  Page: 1/4  
Council for Trade-Related Aspects of 
Intellectual Property Rights  Original: English  
  
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES: INFORMATION FROM  
OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 
WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANIZATION (WCO) 
 At its meeting of 11-12 June 2013, the Council for TRIPS agreed to invite intergovernmental 
organization observers to the Council to update the information on their technical and financial cooperation programmes relating to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement.  
 The present document reproduces the information which has been received from the World 
Customs Organization (WCO) by means of a communication dated 11 September 2013.  
 Communications from other intergovernmental organizations will be circulated as addenda 
to this document.  
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1  WHY SHOULD THE WCO PROVIDE TECHNICAL COOPERATION IN THE TRIPS DOMAIN? 
The World Customs Organization (WCO) is the only intergovernmental organization dealing with 
Customs procedures governing trade between countries. Its role as an agency is protecting national borders from incessant flows of counterfeit and pirated goods. Special Requirements 
Related to Border Measures (Part III, Section 4 of  the TRIPS Agreement) provides the WCO with a 
framework for its enforcement activities to combat IPR-infringing items. One of the WCO’s major roles is to assist Members in establishing their legal and operational capacities for IPR protection 
within the framework of border measures laid down by the TRIPS Agreement.  
 2  WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THE WCO’S TECHNICAL COOPERATION? 
The WCO’s technical cooperation offers some unique features in order to maximize the effect of its 
activities.  
 
 IT IS TAILORED TO EACH ADMINISTRATION’S STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT 
With 179 Member administrations, the operational and legal bases for border measures may 
take various forms in each country. The WCO’s technical cooperation is designed and tailored to each specific activity, in order to accommodate Members’ different needs. 
 
Diagnostic:  At a Member’s request, the WCO initiates its technical cooperation process 
with a diagnostic mission. A team of experts is sent to the administration to determine the specific area where improvements are required, through intensive interviews and 
dialogue.  
 Action Planning: Following the diagnostic, a detailed Action Plan is drawn up with the 
help of our experts, aimed at tackling an y weaknesses revealed by the diagnostic.  
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  Seminars:  National or regional seminars can also be conducted between the diagnostic 
and action planning phases, giving Member Customs administrations hands-on experience of a training operation, before  participating in a fully-fledged one.  
 
 CUSTOMS OFFICERS TRAIN EACH OTHER 
The WCO’s technical co-operation activities are conducted with the assistance of WCO 
Accredited Experts. The latter are operational Customs officers working in Member 
administrations and accredited by the WCO for their excellent operational or legal 
knowledge of counterfeiting and piracy. Thanks to the support of practicing Customs officers, the highest standards of technical co-operation can be maintained, taking account of the latest trends in smuggling of counterfeit goods at the border.  
 
 COOPERATION CONTINUES IN THE FIELD  
Operations, involving simultaneous participation by several Customs administrations to 
combat counterfeiting, also form one of the WCO's unique technical co-operation activities. 
Their uniqueness lies in the participatory approach. Local Customs officers are mobilized and work closely with Accredited Experts, learning operational techniques through 
experience. In this way, operations can provid e officers with an environment conducive to 
applying and testing out what they have learned in the actual field. 
 
 COOPERATION IS SUSTAINABLE, EVEN AFTER THE EXPERTS LEAVE THE COUNTRY 
A major challenge for any technical co-operation activity is making it sustainable. In the 
field of Customs border controls on counterfeit and pirated goods, building co-operative relationships with Right Holders without the assi stance of the WCO or an Accredited Expert 
has proved a substantial hurdle for many Members. Interface Public-Members  (IPM) was 
consequently developed to bridge that gap. It  is a tool facilitating communication between 
Customs and Right Holders. Member Right Holders can input information in the system 
helping to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit products, together with contact 
information, possible routes, and packaging information. Customs officers can access that information from anywhere in the world provided they have an internet connection. A new feature enabling officers to use their sm art phones to scan barcodes and access the 
requisite information will be launched shortly. 
 
 
3  MEMBERS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES 
The Counterfeiting and Piracy Group  (CAP) is a specialized WCO forum for discussing 
counterfeiting and piracy issues in the contex t of border measures. Whenever technical co-
operation activities are conducted, especially large scale operations, the WCO presents the seizure 
results and participating countries describe their ex perience of the operation at one of the Group’s 
biannual meetings.  
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  IP/C/W/591  
 
- 3 - ANNEX 
 
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE TRIPS DOMAIN FROM 1 OCTOBER 2012 TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2013 
Category From  To Year Location No. of  
countries  Activity Other 
organization 
Workshop 15-
Oct 18-
Oct 2012 Dakar,  
Senegal 25 Sub-Regional Workshop on the Social and Economic 
Consequences of Counterfeiting and other IPR 
Infringements for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in conjunction with WIPO. WIPO 
Operation 28-
Nov 7-Dec 2012 Djibouti,  
Djibouti 8 Operation Eastern-Gate.  A combination of a three-day 
training seminar and a week-long sub-regional operation 
targeting merchandise that may jeopardize human health 
and safety.    
National Seminar 21-
Jan 25-
Jan 2013 Kingston,   
Jamaica 1 National Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.   
Conference 14-
Feb 15-
Feb 2013 Mexico 
Costa Rica 2 Participation in a Regional Conference bringing together 
senior leaders from the Mexican and Costa Rican 
Customs Administrations. US DOJ 
National Seminar 11-
Feb 13-
Feb 2013 Phnom 
Penh,  
Cambodia 1 National Seminar on Combating Counterfeiting and 
Piracy.   
National Seminar 18-
Feb 22-
Feb 2013 San José,  
Costa Rica 1 National Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.   
Diagnostic 25-
Feb 1-Mar 2013 Manila,  
Philippines 1 Diagnostic of the legislative, operational and structural 
aspects of IPR in the Philippines Customs Administration.   
Conference 3-Mar 4-Mar 2013 Riyadh,  
Saudi 
Arabia   Participation in the 3rd Arab Forum on Anti-Commercial 
Fraud, Counterfeiting and IPR Protection. Saudi Customs 
Operation 27-
Mar 10-
Apr 2013 Lome, 
Togo 17 Operation BIYELA. A week-long regional operation 
targeting merchandise that may jeopardize human health 
and safety.     
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- 4 - Category From  To Year Location No. of  
countries  Activity Other 
organization 
Sub-Regional 
Seminar 29-
Apr 3-May 2013 Bangkok,  
Thailand 5 Sub-Regional Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.    
Conference 24-
Apr 26-
Apr 2013 Istanbul, 
Turkey   Organization of the Seventh Global Congress on 
Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy.   
Workshop 16-
May 24-
May 2013 Mexico 1 Operation AGAVE: Workshop on Interagency Co-
operation for Enforcement at the Border.  US DOJ 
National Seminar 27-
May 31-
May 2013 Tashkent,  
Uzbekistan 1 National Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.   
Sub-Regional 
Seminar 3-Jun 7-Jun 2013 Djibouti,  
Djibouti 4 Sub-Regional Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.    
Sub-Regional 
Seminar 8-Jul 12-Jul 2013 Valparaiso,  
Chile 5 Sub-Regional Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.    
Sub-Regional 
Seminar 26-Jul 26-Jul 2013 Yerevan,  
Armenia 7 Sub-Regional Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.    
National Seminar 26-
Aug 30-
Aug 2013 Port Vila,  
Vanuatu 1 National Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.   
National Seminar 9-Sep 13-
Sep 2013 Tbilisi,  
Georgia 1 National Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.   
National Seminar 9-Sep 13-
Sep 2013 Dhaka,  
Bangladesh 1 National Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.   
National Seminar 23-
Sep 27-
Sep 2013 Astana, 
Kazakhstan 1 National Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.   
Sub-Regional 
Seminar 27-
Sep 27-
Sep 2013 Tunis,  
Tunisia 5 Sub-Regional Operational Seminar on Combating 
Counterfeiting and Piracy.    
 
 
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