G8 Closing Statement Highlights Cooperation on IPR, Creating of Border Warning System
The Group of Eight leaders meeting over the weekend agreed to cooperate to limit cross-border counterfeiting and piracy, they said in their closing statement. They said they "note the importance of intellectual property rights systems as drivers of innovation, and acknowledge the importance of improving IPR capacity of the developing world. ... G8 Leaders further understand that global trade in counterfeit and pirated goods poses an increasingly significant threat to our nations' economies."
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The G8 governments said they encourage private sector companies to agree on and introduce voluntary codes of best practices that require their foreign suppliers to respect intellectual property rights, and engage in private sector compliance audits to measure progress. They also said they will review their internal procurement processes to take into account the threats posed by counterfeit and pirated goods to critical infrastructure and the health and safety of government personnel and the public.
The G8 governments also said in the statement they will "intensify ongoing efforts to implement an integrated warning system, such as G8 INFO_IPR, by which border enforcement authorities can rapidly share information related to shipments of counterfeit or pirated goods, to help prevent the importation of such goods. ... These efforts should be implemented in coordination with relevant international organizations, inter alia the World Customs Organization and Interpol, and support existing customs cooperation and mutual assistance agreements.
Counterfeit Drugs on Internet Targeted
G8 leaders also noted "the grave threat that counterfeit and falsified medical products pose to public health." The statement said increased access to the Internet, coupled with new methods of manufacturing and distributing counterfeit, falsified medical products have created new challenges to safeguarding the legitimate supply chain. The G8 leaders encouraged increased cross-border cooperation to effectively combat the problem,without jeopardizing the legal trade in generic medicines (see statement here).
G8 members pledged to exchange available information about rogue Internet sites that sell counterfeit, falsified medical products, as appropriate and consistent with each country’s laws and regulations. They also said they'll share available information about best practices and counterfeit detection technology, including tracking and tracing systems.