Asia-Pacific Foreign Investment Brief
The FDI, Trade, and Economic Development Community

Interesting article that underlines why the GTDW China Trade Development Week program incorporates trade facilitation, compliance, anti illicit trade and brand protection sharing the same platform - the article underlines the need for collaboration across government to IP stakeholders to technologies that we are driving through the GTDW agenda as well as our access programs with free participation from customs, tax & trade ministries + brand owners & heads of IP: 'Ultimately, the trade in infringing goods strains government resources and requires active IP stakeholder involvement. While IP stakeholders tend to be active in Europe and the U.S., efforts must be pursued in other countries to ensure that IP owners are invited to be active in the countries of production of infringing goods in an effort to stop such goods before they are exported to destination markets.' PM us for details of the program: globaltrade@kwconfex.com FULL ARTICLE The European Commission (EC) released a report on September 19, detailing the intellectual property (IP) enforcement efforts of the European Union’s 28 member state customs administrations. The EC report of seized IP infringing goods at the European Union’s border points to China and Hong Kong as the country of origin for 60% of the seized goods. The fact that China and Hong Kong account for the majority of seized goods is consistent with results in recent years. Moreover, it is also consistent with statistics from the United States for the past several years. The EC’s statistics are important for IP stakeholders as they underscore the continuation of recent trends regarding the impact of the internet. The EC report indicates that express couriers and the international mail system are used increasingly to get infringing goods into the hands of customers. Express couriers and the postal system accounted for 84% of all detention situations by customs officials when they suspected possible IP infringement, but sea traffic resulted in the highest number of actual IP infringing items stopped at the border. The fact that consumers are now able to shop online and make payments for goods online facilitates the movement of infringing goods. Moreover, in view of the small quantities involved in individual purchases, it has become common for small quantities to be shipped via express couriers and the international mail system. The EC report states: “The top categories [of seized goods] are typically goods that can be ordered online and shipped via post or express courier”. The important impact of online commerce is not simply that the postal system and express couriers are used, but that this requires greater scrutiny of shipments by customs officials or postal authorities that lead to the detection of very small quantities of items. Ultimately, this requires greater government resources to police the border and protect consumers from potentially infringing and dangerous or harmful goods. The EC report also underscores the seizure of IP infringing goods that pose public health and safety risks. Between eight and nine million seized items, over one-third of the total, fell within the categories of medicines, personal hygiene, electrical, foods and beverages. Europe’s concerns regarding quantities of infringing goods that pose risks to public health and safety are significant and consistent with concerns globally as seizures of such goods occur globally. Both small quantity packages sent via express courier or mail and goods that pose threats to consumers make IP enforcement a critical function of government officials. The implications go beyond customs officers who work at border entry points. The use of the postal system to facilitate illegal trade necessitates greater involvement of postal officials. In addition, whether electrical goods or medicines, other government officials in regulatory agencies must be involved to prevent the entry of potentially harmful goods into the stream of commerce. Ultimately, the trade in infringing goods strains government resources and requires active IP stakeholder involvement. While IP stakeholders tend to be active in Europe and the U.S., efforts must be pursued in other countries to ensure that IP owners are invited to be active in the countries of production of infringing goods in an effort to stop such goods before they are exported to destination markets. #gtdwchina #customs #counterfeits #brandprotection #cargo #smallparcels #illicittrade #fightthefakes #fakes #intellectualproperty #technologies #china #chinatrade #trade #globaltrade #internationaltrade #tradefacilitation

Did you miss meeting these brand protection heads at GTDW Anti Illicit Trade & Brand Protection Conference? #chanel #longchamp #philipmorrisinternational JD.com #MCM #Lear #danfoss #louisvuitton #treasurywines #unilever #spalding #novartis #nike #levistrauss #LBrands #JohnsonJohnson #abercrombie #cisco #diageo #beiersdorf #JTI #VW #GSK #BAT #MSD #generalmotors VIP BRAND OWNER PROGRAM Guess what? Brand Protection & IP Heads attend for free as part of the 4th GTDW Anti Illicit Trade & Brand Protection Conference & Technologies Exhibition, part of GTDW China Trade Development Week, 16-18 June Shanghai VIEW 2020 PROGRAM Exhibition starts from $3675 for 3x2sqm Sponsorship starts from $12500 with speaking & presentation. PM us for details globaltrade@kwconfex.com #gtdwchina #brandprotection #ilicittrade #technologies #blockchain #fakes #fightthefake #counterfeit #chinatrade #trade #globaltrade #integrity

“As a National Interest Project (NIP), GUCEG will enable trade and transport stakeholders to provide standardized information and documents through a single entry point allowing the swiftness, simplification, dematerialization, anticipation and cost reduction related to procedures. This cutting edge technology platform will boost the Guinean Government revenues.” VIEW ARTICLE Webb Fontaine #globaltrade #tradefacilitation #singlewindow #paperlesstrade #tradetech #tradetechnology #gtdwchina #globaltrade #customs #customsmodernisation #smartborders #tax #ecommerce #aeo #trade #africa #africatrade #etrade #eports #tax #taxrevenue #taxmodernisation #tradecapacity #publicprivatepartnerships #collaboration #guinea

1. The only international exhibition dedicated to technologies and interoperability for licit and illicit trade 2. Audience: governments, regulators, business leaders, supply chain, compliance, brand owners, customs & tax administrations, tech and associations in one location 3. 80% of our attendees are looking to meet new technologies to facilitate trade 4. International attendance - Africa, Americas, Middle East, Asia Pacific, Europe 5. Hosted in China at the heart of global trade in English & Mandarin 6. New leads and contacts defining trade technology interoperability 7. Meet your clients face to face 8. Position your brand to new and existing customers 9. Understand your competition 10. Ensure your brand is in front of buyers 11. Launch your latest technologies and innovation 12. Get direct feedback from clients 13. Present your products and services through corporate presentations 14. G2G, G2B & B2B networking 15. Are you looking for new partners & distributors in emerging markets? Want to know more pm globaltrade@kwconfex.com or visit www.kwglobaltrade.com Did you miss the last edition? View the 2019 event video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DLYC9_2mqc&t=40s #gtdwchina #globaltrade #internationaltrade #china #chinatrade #asiapacific #anticounterfeiting #shanghai #africa #technologies #exhibition #trade #technology #supplychain #compliance #brandprotection #africa #asia #latinamerica #tradedevelopment #tradefacilitation #smarttrade #development #capacitybuilding #leaders #economicdevelopment #illicittrade #singlewindow #blockchain #tradetech

There have been a number of significant changes at the Korean Customs Service (“KCS”) in the last 12 months, with amendments to the Guidelines for Customs Clearance of International Mail Import and Guidelines for Protection of IP Rights in Customs Clearance of Imports and Exports respectively taking effect in November 2018 and January 2019. Below we provide an overview of the revisions most relevant to tackling the import of counterfeit goods, as well as the preliminary results recently shared by the KCS. Now more difficult for small-parcel counterfeits to fly under the radar Due to the increasing amount of counterfeit goods being moved through international mail — particularly items such as brand-name footwear, golfing goods, bags, toys etc. — KCS has implemented the following changes in line with the amended Guidelines for Customs Clearance of International Mail Import: Before Revision Small parcel counterfeits returned to consignor without further investigation and penalty. Sorting suspicious counterfeits from among small parcels totally dependent on the KCS’ information and discretion. After Revision Small parcel counterfeits destroyed, or returned to the consignor only after any IPR-infringing parts have been removed (difficult in practice, so destruction most likely). KCS may, at their discretion, investigate the consignee.IPR holders given the opportunity to appraise small parcels onsite. In practice, the initial sorting and classification of potential counterfeit items is handled by the KCS in conjunction with the Trade-related IPR Protection Association (“TIPA”). TIPA is a not-for-profit membership organization which was formed in 2006 under the authority of the KCS, and provides services for its members including, but not limited to, scheduling onsite visits and organizing training sessions for customs officials. Such activities can also be performed by a local agent in the case that a representative of the IPR holder itself is not available. Recording IP rights with Korean customs Rights holders are recommended to record their IPRs with KCS in order to benefit from the strengthened provisions. Recordal is made via TIPA, and the information is shared with KCS for use in sorting/classifying mail. Along with the IPR data, brand enforcement guidelines and information can also be shared to assist customs officials in discerning genuine goods from counterfeits. Following the revisions to the Guidelines for Protection of IP Rights in Customs Clearance of Imports and Exports, IPR recordals are now valid for up to 10 years (dependent on the validity of the underlying IP right). This is a significant improvement over the previous 3-year term. For trademarks in particular, this makes customs recordal at the time of registration/renewal of the trademark right a more convenient option. How effective have the new measures been? According to KCS, beginning from when the new guidelines went into force on November 26, 2018 and until the end of June this year, approximately 20,000 items of IPR-infringing goods were located and seized from international mail entering Korea. Among this total, the majority — 98.9% — originated from China, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand etc. By the end of September, KCS intends to have destroyed roughly half of this total. Brand owners also appear to be playing an active role in the new process, with KCS reporting that representatives from over 60 brands have made on-site inspections of goods suspected of infringing their IPRs since the changes were introduced. This strengthened focus on the protection of IPRs at the border is naturally good news for brand owners, and we expect that interest and participation will continue to grow given the strong early results reported by KCS. VIEW ARTICLE #gtdwchina #brandprotection #smartborders #tradefacilitation #customs #smallparcels #korea #koreacustomsservice #counterfeits #fightthefakes #fake #ecommerce #customsmodernisation #bordercontrol

Azerbaijan's State Customs Committee is planning to use blockchain technology to exchange information with customs authorities of other countries. Speaking at the second session of the International Caspian Energy Forum, First Deputy Chairman of the committee Ismayil Huseynov said the committee has already started exchanging information with Georgian Customs Department via a new method. “Azerbaijan with the active help of India and Moldova is already working on the use of such an information exchange with the customs authorities of Ukraine,” he added. “In the long term, such projects will affect other cooperating countries as well.” He also said that the development of e-services in the customs system has always been in the spotlight. Commenting on the projects to be implemented by the customs authorities in the near future, Huseynov said that an "electronic queue" system will be launched soon. Earlier in June, the committee joined TradeLens, a blockchain-based supply chain platform jointly developed by Maersk and IBM companies. It said at the time that one of its major goals is to fully automate the process of customs clearance. Deputy chairman of the State Customs Committee, customs service Major-General Igbal Babayev said that joining TradeLens could enhance efficiency and ensure better safety of the import and export operations of the Republic of Azerbaijan. VIEW ARTICLE #gtdwchina #globaltrade #blockchain #customsmodernisation #smartborders #tradelens #import #export #etrade #tradetech #supplychain

“The direction taken by Morpheus.Network shows considerable progress in the implementation of #blockchain for #supplychainmanagement and #customsclearance, with the aim of combating #counterfeiting. It could eventually lead to a seamless integration of different blockchain solutions to create one universal system that could eventually be implemented across the world, by different private and government agencies, with added transparency while eliminating corrupt practices.” Co-Founder Noam Eppel states “One unique aspect of our platform is that it’s blockchain-agnostic, which means you don’t need to be tied to a single blockchain.” Co-founder and UN supply chain expert Danny Weinberger ☆ Supply Chain Innovator - CEO of Morpheus.Network said, “We’ve been tackling the direct inefficiencies in #globaltrade, which has led us to this CBP intellectual property rights (#IPR) Proof of Concept.” ARTICLE

Great video by our Advisory Council Partners @UNCTAD on #empowering #tradefacilitation committees. As part of GTDW commitment to trade facilitation we have a government program with FREE participation for key agencies to attend #gtdwchina 16-18 June #shanghai Customs & Tax Administrations Ministries Trade, Finance, Transport Heads of IP, Police & Judiciary Join us at GTDW China Trade Development Week 2020.

GTDW China Tradetech Exhibition 16-18 June - Licit & Illicit Trade Technologies for governments, regulators, business & supply chain. PM for details globaltrade@kwconfex.com or visit https://lnkd.in/fdNx6h8 #gtdwchina #globaltrade #china #chinatrade #trade #tradetech #tradefacilitation #illicittrade

The federal government has been urged to compel the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to provide scanners at the nation’s sea ports so as to facilitate trade and enhance the ease of doing business. Speaking at maritime stakeholders’ forum in Lagos, the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman, appealed to the federal government to urgently intervene on the need for the NCS to acquire scanners to facilitate cargo clearance at the nation’s ports. She lamented that lack of cargo scanners at the ports was one of the major challenges impeding the federal government policy on the ease of doing business. The NPA boss decried the current situation where cargo examination at the ports is being conducted 100 per cent manually by Customs thereby delaying clearance. “As a result of the absence of scanners in our seaports, all cargoes that comes into Nigeria are examined physically. You can imagine the huge tonnage of cargo that comes into our ports and that tonnage is being examined physically by all agencies of government. Automatically, that translates to congestion. “I will like the minister to intervene for the Customs to deploy these scanners at our ports so that we can have fast inspection of cargo at our ports and all the information from the scanning can be sent to all agencies. I don’t know how it is possible for Customs to say they physically examine all the containers. There is no way that would facilitate ease of doing business,” she added. Bala-Usman, also raised concern over the refusal of customs to auction seized cargoes, which she noted have taken over available space at the terminals. She said: “There is also the concern of overtime cargo. I will like you (Minister) to intervene on this matter to draw the attention of the Nigeria Customs to facilitate the auction of cargo. We have huge volume of overtime cargo in our ports. The last time auction was done was in 2015 and we have written severally to Nigeria Customs. “We have mentioned the need for us to move the containers out of the terminal into Ikorodu. What we have told them is that there is a provision for on-the-spot auction, so you can go and auction on the spot. We need to facilitate that because the terminals are full, there is no space. So that is a big challenge for us and we would like you to intervene.” On the issue of the diversion of Nigeria-bound cargoes to the ports of neighbouring countries, Bala-Usman said: “Items that are banned or have high tariff like vehicles, rice are the ones that are usually diverted and smuggled through the land border because it is difficult to smuggle items through the seaport.” VIEW ARTICLE #gtdwchina #customsmodernization #smarttrade #globaltrade #smartborders #cargoscanning #tradetech #container #maritime #tradefacilitation