WCO ONLINE SEMINAR: PROTECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

    On June 18–19, 2025, a sub-regional international online seminar on intellectual property risk management for customs authorities of Central Asian countries was held with the support of the World Customs Organization (WCO). The event took place in a videoconference format and brought together representatives of the State Revenue Committee, its regional bodies, as well as customs administrations of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The seminar aimed to strengthen the capacity of customs authorities in the region to combat counterfeit goods and enhance the effective use of WCO’s modern tools for risk analysis related to intellectual property rights (IPR) violations. Both theoretical and practical sessions were organized, including case discussions and a Q&A segment with participants.

Opening remarks were delivered by:
– Mr. Maurice Adefalou – Representative of the World Customs Organization
– Mr. Yerzhan Abdrakhmanov – Head of the Customs Operations Department of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The seminar featured presentations by accredited WCO experts on intellectual property rights, Ms. Vinitha Sekhar and Mr. Nasir Khan.

As part of the program, participants explored the global landscape of intellectual property rights infringements, risk management methods, risk indicators in e-commerce, as well as WCO tools including CENcomm for information exchange.

Participants emphasized the relevance of the topics discussed and expressed keen interest in continued cooperation in this area.