Events to Educate Youth Mark World IP Day

This year, the theme of World Intellectual Property Day, on April 26, focused on intellectual property (IP) and youth innovating for a better future. Empowering the future generation of leaders and entrepreneurs includes teaching them about the value of IP and the dangers counterfeits can pose.

INTA leveraged World IP Day—an annual event organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization—to bring these important messages to youth in various regions. Members held several events, including Unreal Campaign presentations. INTA’s Unreal Campaign educates young consumers, ages 14‒23, about the value of IP and the dangers of counterfeit products to help them make smart purchasing decisions today and in the future. They reach them through illustrative, relatable presentations, largely at schools or youth-oriented events, on virtual platforms, and through social media engagement.

Below is a recap of some key events that took place to celebrate World IP Day:

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Association of Intellectual Property (ADOPI), a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and defend IP rights in the Dominican Republic, held its second annual “IP WEEK,” consisting of activities and informative lectures as part of its continuing education program. ADOPI visited educational centers in the country from April 20 to 22 to raise awareness among the youth about IP rights and the importance of trademarks and the dangers of buying counterfeit products. Arleen Castillo (Innventiva Espacio Legal, Dominican Republic), member of INTA’s Unreal Campaign Committee, conducted in-person presentations in Santo Domingo as part of this initiative.

India

As part of the Government of India’s week-long celebration of World IP Day, the Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), Ministry of Commerce, and Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) collaborated on an event, “Trademark and Anticounterfeiting – Real vs. Unreal” on April 18. A mix of students, teachers, and young innovators attended the session as part of the Atal Tinkering Labs, an AIM initiative. Unreal Campaign Committee Vice Chair Rachna Bakhru (RNA, IP Attorneys, India) presented at this event. Her presentation began with a slightly more elaborate introduction to trademarks and then went into the concept of counterfeiting.

Nepal

On May 14, Anushka Arya (Rouse, Indonesia), an INTA member, conducted a virtual training session attended by 17 college students from Nepal on the importance of trademarks and brands and the dangers of counterfeit products. This is the first Unreal Campaign that was held in Nepal. Using a presentation developed by INTA’s Unreal Campaign and subsequent discussion, the students of the Mitrataa Foundation increased their own knowledge as well as gained the tools to share the Campaign’s important messages with their fellow students and schoolchildren across the country. Comments from participants:

• One attendee said that she wished she had studied law instead of science because she found it so interesting and wanted to learn more!
• Another student commented that it was a very fruitful session, and she learned a lot about trademarks.
• One participant noted,“Thank you so much for organizing such an amazing workshop for us. I got to learn a lot of new things which I didn’t use to care about and it actually changes my perception.”
• Another student commented that it made her a much more aware consumer, and she had not really thought about it from this angle before—that the power for change rests in the hands of consumers.

Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Intellectual Property Authority (SAIP) in coordination with Saudi Public Administration (SPA) organized an event on April 21. Speakers presented on trademarks, IP rights, IP disputes before SAIP, and patents and innovation, among other topics. INTA’s Middle East Global Advisory Council (MEGAC) along with INTA staff supported this event by participating as speakers and attendees. Among the speakers, MEGAC Co-Chair Munir Suboh (BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates LLP, United Arab Emirates), provided a general introduction about IP rights and discussed trademark protection.

Vietnam

Hue University of Law (HUL) and Tilleke & Gibbins co-organized the Intellectual Property Awareness Day “UNREAL – Counterfeit Goods, Authentic Products” on April 24 in Hue, Vietnam. At least 150 university students were in the auditorium for the main Unreal Campaign presentation. Others visited an exhibit of real/counterfeit goods and attended other events linked to World IP Day.

In addition to the Unreal presentation, Tilleke & Gibbins provided the following activities for the event:

• Counterfeit Goods Display: The law firm brought counterfeit and real goods from its IP Enforcement team’s collections to illustrate the wide range of products that are counterfeited and to show how to tell real goods from fake goods.
• Game Show: The firm had a “Name the Logo” game show for the students where they showed a partial or obscured logo and asked the students to identify the company/brand to win a prize. After each logo was revealed, some facts about the company and the trademark were shared. The idea of this activity is to show how powerful trademarks are; many of the students were able to identify the logos very quickly even from a single letter or line.
• Roundtable Discussion: The firm had a roundtable discussion with seven lawyers on contemporary IP issues, including counterfeit/infringing goods.
• Thesis Workshop: At a separate HUL event some HUL students presented their IP-themed theses for a panel of experts from Tilleke & Gibbins and the university to provide feedback.

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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