By Foster Obi

The 21st Meeting of the World Customs Organization’s Counterfeiting and Piracy (WCO CAP) Group was recently held in a hybrid format to address several topics of interest including the latest developments shared by partners in the fight against substandard and counterfeit pharmaceutical products, follow-up actions relating to the WCO Symposium on “removing counterfeits from e-commerce”, strategies to be developed to mitigate counterfeiting of car parts and ensure better protection for society, the possible connection between Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) crime and money laundering and enforcement challenges faced by rights holders (RHs) and Customs in Free Trade Zones concerning IPR protection.
The meeting brought together more than 200 representatives of Customs administrations, Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILOs), Regional Offices for Capacity Building (ROCBs), international organizations, and the private sector.
The WCO CAP Group was established in 2009 as a forum for Customs administrations to share their experiences, practices, and initiatives on border measures to be adopted concerning goods that infringe intellectual property rights (IPRs) and/or are detrimental to consumer health.
In his opening remarks, Pranab Kumar Das, Director for Compliance and Facilitation, recalled that intellectual property served as the foundation for innovation, driving progress in various fields. He also emphasized the role played by Customs in protecting IPRs at borders. Furthermore, he highlighted the growing importance of the WCO CAP Group meetings, more particularly in the field of health and safety.
The Meeting began with a closed session for Members and observers from international organizations, during which the activities carried out by the WCO and its Members since the 20th Meeting of the WCO CAP Group were discussed. In addition, the outcomes of the STOP III and Action IPR III Operations were presented, as well as the WCO CAP Group Work Programme for 2025-2026.