Press Releases

Organizations Collaborate to Educate Teens About Anticounterfeiting

Published: April 18, 2019


Santiago, Chile,  April 18, 2019—
The International Trademark Association (INTA), headquartered in New York, NY, with an office in Santiago, Chile, and the National Trade Foundation for Education (COMEDUC), based in Santiago, today announced that they will be collaborating to educate students in Chile about the dangers of purchasing counterfeit goods and the importance of intellectual property (IP).

During the 2019 academic year, the new initiative is expected to reach more than 3,000 freshmen students at 19 high schools in six cities in the country: Chillán, Curicó, Rancagua, San Fernando, Santiago, and Viña del Mar. The program will officially get underway on April 23 and April 26 with two presentations at Liceo Comercial Luis Correa Prieto in Santiago by INTA members Andrea Lobos and Rodrigo Sammut, both of Andes IP, Chile. 

The collaboration is part of INTA’s ongoing efforts through its Unreal Campaign to raise awareness of anticounterfeiting and other aspects of IP among teenagers through presentations and discussions led primarily by INTA volunteer members. This marks the Unreal Campaign’s first countrywide agreement. 

“We are very happy that the partnership has prospered,” said Tatiana Arce, COMEDUC’s Educational Subdirector. “Implementing the Unreal Campaign means that we can add elements to the integral formation of our students; we will be delivering a training that is not only technical but also civic, and above all, human.”

The collaboration came about after INTA contacted COMEDUC in 2018 through the Chilean National Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, to gauge the organization’s interest in participating in the Unreal Campaign. COMEDUC presents an excellent channel to implement the Unreal Campaign in Chile in a widespread way since the organization administers 19 schools in the country. 

“We greatly appreciate that COMEDUC recognizes the value in educating the younger generation about the rising threat of counterfeiting worldwide. Informing students about the dangers of purchasing fake goods and about the value of trademarks can help contribute to their own development as informed consumers as well as to the economic growth of Chile in the long run,” said José Luis Londoño, INTA’s Chief Representative Officer, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The total estimated global value of counterfeit and pirated goods, including digital piracy, is projected to reach US $1.90–2.81 trillion by 2022, according to
The Economic Impacts of Counterfeiting and Piracy, a study prepared for INTA and the International Chamber of Commerce BASCAP (Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy).

Under the collaboration, all of the presenters will be INTA members, including lawyers from Alessandri; Andes IP; Claro & Cía.; CMS Carey & Allende; Concha y Toro; Cooper & Cía.; Guerrero Olivos SpA; Mackenna, Irarrázaval, Cuchacovich & Paz; Puga IP; Puma; and Silva.

INTA’s Unreal Campaign began in 2012, and has reached a total of 40,000 students in 37 countries, including one presentation in Chile to approximately 80 students in Santiago in 2017. In 2019 so far, the Unreal Campaign has reached 1,500+ students in six countries.

About the International Trademark Association 
The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related intellectual property to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation. Members include more than 7,200 trademark owners, professionals, and academics from 191 countries, who benefit from the Association’s global trademark resources, policy development, education and training, and international network. Founded in 1878, INTA is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Brussels, Santiago, Shanghai, Singapore, and Washington, D.C., and representatives in Geneva and New Delhi. For more information, please visit www.inta.org.

About the National Trade Foundation for Education 
The National Trade Foundation for Education (COMEDUC) is a private non-profit institution, created in 1987, under the aegis of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism of Chile. The Foundation administers 19 schools, providing a free professional and quality technical education. Currently, COMEDUC teaches 18 specialties and has graduated more than 85,000 students in its 31 years of constant and committed work. The Foundation is committed to the improvement of quality of life of young people, mainly from highly vulnerable sectors, through quality human and technical training. Its mission today, with its 12,000 students who attend its classrooms, is to generate opportunities through entrepreneurship, citizenship training, employment, and higher education. To this end, different strategic alliances are established, such as the one signed with INTA, which allow for strengthening training and adding tools in the development of educational communities. For more information, please visit http://www.comeduc.cl.