Click here for archive information, presentations and outcomes from the past Congresses:

6th Global Congress: Paris

5th Global Congress: Cancun

4th Global Congress: Dubai

3rd Global Congress: Geneva

2nd Global Congress: Lyon

1st Global Congress: Brussels

The 6th Global Congress was held in Paris, France, showcasing the French National Exposition on Counterfeiting organized by the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie. France's Intellectual Property Office (INPI) co-hosted the event, with strong leadership and participation from INPI Director General Yves Lapierre.

The Fifth Global Congress was held in Mexico to draw attention to counterfeiting and piracy in Latin America (LATAM) and to engage senior government leaders from Mexico and throughout the region. Twelve senior Mexican government officials and keynote speakers from Panama, Uruguay, Paraguay, and the Dominican Republic presented their views. Mexico’s Intellectual Property Office (IMPI) co-hosted the event, with strong leadership and participation from IMPI Director General Jorge Amigo, underscoring Mexico’s commitment to stronger IP enforcement. LATAM government officials offered proposals for curbing counterfeit and pirated goods in their countries – and committed to build upon work already in place.

The Fourth Global Congress was the first event held outside of Europe and was co-hosted by the World Customs Organization and Dubai Customs.

Drawing from this outline, the Third Global Congress was organized to enable participants to analyze progress made and suggest actions oriented towards the remaining challenges in each of the priority areas. Notably, the Congress also featured a special session on health and safety risks associated with counterfeiting and piracy; and this focus will become a fifth pillar of the Congress’ priority focus.

The Lyon Declaration, developed at the Second Global Congress in 2005, identified four priority areas which have come to serve as the Congress’s mandate and outline for action. These four priorities are: (1) Raising Awareness; (2) Improving Cooperation and Coordination; (3) Building Capacity; and, (4) Promoting Better Legislation and Enforcement.

Extending from recommendations made at the First Global Congress (Brussels, May 2004), the purpose of the Congress has been to raise awareness on the growing counterfeiting and piracy problems, share relevant information, develop strategies to combat the illegal trade and identify practical actions and potential solutions.