Unreal Campaign Joins Forces with Mercado Libre to Empower Youth to Fight Counterfeiting Online

INTA, together with Mercado Libre, the largest e-commerce and digital payments ecosystem in Latin America, has launched the Latin America Original Challenge—a regional youth initiative designed to raise awareness about the risks of counterfeiting in digital commerce and promote the value of authentic brands.

The challenge brings together more than 300 young people between the ages of 15 and 18 from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, working with mentors and exploring innovation methodologies.

Participants are tasked with understanding the real-world consequences of counterfeit goods—including health, safety, and economic impacts—and developing creative proposals to shift consumer behavior and culture around authenticity. Their work takes the form of awareness campaigns, educational content, or digital experiences that highlight the value of original products and the dangers of fakes.

Members of INTA’s Unreal Campaign are actively participating in the program as mentors, bringing firsthand industry expertise and perspective directly to the young participants as they develop their proposals.

National winners from each jurisdiction will advance to a regional final taking place on June 17, where the best proposals will compete for the title of Latin America Original Champion.

The initiative is part of INTA’s global Unreal Campaign, which seeks to educate consumers—especially younger generations—about the harms of counterfeiting and the importance of intellectual property. By partnering with Mercado Libre, an e-commerce platform with presence in more than 18 jurisdictions in Latin America, and engaging youth as active change agents rather than passive audiences, the challenge represents a meaningful step forward in building a culture of authenticity across the region.

“At Mercado Libre, we are very proud to have supported the Unreal Campaign as sponsors for many years,” said Paula Fernandez Pfizenmaier, IP Director at Mercado Libre, who currently serves on INTA’s Board of Directors and In-House Practitioners Committee. “We believe this challenge is one more step in amplifying the Unreal Campaign’s voice and INTA’s mission across the region.”

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest.

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