A recent INTERPOL conference in Bangkok provided an important opportunity for representatives from many industries—including entertainment, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, electronics, agrichemicals, and more—to share best practices in brand protection and anticounterfeiting efforts with law enforcement officials. Cohosted by INTERPOL and the Royal Thai Police on March 26–28, 2013, the Trafficking and Illicit Goods Integrated Training and Operational Planning Meeting was attended by customs and police officers from Bangladesh, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Among other invited speakers from both the public and private sectors, Titirat Wattanachewanopakorn conducted a presentation on behalf of Tilleke & Gibbins client CropLife International, a global federation representing the plant science industry. Titirat’s presentation educated the participating officers about the problems created by counterfeit and illegal pesticides. He also provided case studies to demonstrate successful collaborations between the agrichemical industry and law enforcement agencies around the world in an attempt to protect farmers, the general public, and the environment from the dangers of counterfeit and illegal pesticides.
This initiative may be the first step in even stronger future collaboration, as INTERPOL and the Royal Thai Police are in the process of planning to launch an intense intellectual property enforcement operation, and they have encouraged brand owners’ involvement.