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Interministerial Commission for the coordination of cooperation in the fight against counterfeiting and copyright piracy
Product counterfeiting and copyright piracy have a devastating effect not only on business. According to OECD estimates, global trade in counterfeit and pirated industrial products reached USD 250 billion in 2007.Currently, counterfeiters in Europe are mainly targeting mass consumer goods such as food, cosmetics, hygiene products, medicines, toys and car spare parts, which directly endangers the health and safety of all consumers. Given the economic recession and the growing range of counterfeit products, their negative impact is increasing.
Measures at regional and national level
On 2 April 2009, the European Observatory on Counterfeiting and Copyright Piracy1 was set up as an organisational part of the European Commission's Directorate-General for the Internal Market. The mission of the Observatory is to take measures to ensure the availability of quality information and statistics on counterfeiting and piracy in the EU internal market, to identify and disseminate best practices and good private sector practices across EU countries, to raise public awareness of the negative effects of counterfeiting and piracy and to coordinate related training.The European Commission has invited Member States to actively cooperate with the Centre through national contact points and the establishment of coordination structures.
Following the call and on the basis of the conclusions of the consultations with the departments concerned, the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic has drawn up a proposal for the establishment of an Interministerial Commission for the Coordination of Cooperation in the Field of Combating Counterfeiting and Copyright Piracy (hereinafter referred to as the Commission). The proposal was approved by the Government of the Slovak Republic on 16 March 2011 by Resolution No 198.
The Commission is hosted by the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic, which is also the national contact point for the European Centre, coordinating institutional cooperation and implementation of the measures adopted by the European Centre.
The Commission is composed of representatives of the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Slovak Trade Inspectorate and the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic.
The Commission's task is in particular:
to monitor, assess, ensure and coordinate the resolution of matters of an interdepartmental nature relating to the protection and infringement of intellectual property rights, which go beyond the scope of a single department,
develop a national strategy to combat counterfeiting and copyright piracy and a related action plan; and coordinate their implementation,
coordinate the exchange of required information with the European Centre on counterfeiting and copyright piracy in the territory of the Slovak Republic,
initiate and coordinate information campaigns and public awareness programmes on the protection of intellectual property,
provide training for the institutions concerned in the fight against counterfeiting and copyright piracy,
provide expert support to the administration of the Intellectual Property Information Portal (https://www.dusevnevlastnictvo.gov.sk).
Members of the Commission.pdf (Členovia komisie.pdf)
Statute of the Commission for the coordination of cooperation in the fight against counterfeiting and copyright piracy (Štatút komisie pre koordináciu spolupráce v oblasti boja proti falšovaniu a autorskému pirátstvu (PDF, 136,4 kB))
National strategy for combating counterfeiting and copyright piracy (Národná stratégia boja proti falšovaniu a autorskému pirátstvu)
1 Council Resolution of 25 September 2008 on a comprehensive European plan to combat counterfeiting and copyright piracy (OJ C 253, 4.10.2008, p. 1-2)