Seventh Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy

When the first Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy was held in 2004, the phenomenon was often ignored. Many consumers and government leaders considered counterfeiting and piracy as a victimless crime or simply a problem for luxury goods manufacturers. At the time, we all acknowledged that the fi ght would be a long and diffi cult one, but we were optimistic that we could make a signifi cant dent in this illicit activity.