Ambassador Daigle’s Remarks
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Customs and Border Protection Workshop
on Border Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights
President’s Palace – Monday, June 5 – 9:00 AM
Greetings
Your Excellency the Minister of Justice Joana Rosa
President of the Institute for Quality Management and Intellectual Property
Mrs. Sónia Duarte
Good morning, everyone.
Welcome to this very special collaboration between the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Institute for Quality Management and Intellectual Property.
I want to thank the Government of Cape Verde for its constant commitment, as demonstrated by the presence of the Minister of Justice Joana Rosa. I also thank the Institute for Quality Management and Intellectual Property for hosting the workshop and finally, our partners in Customs, the Judicial Police, and the National Police for their continued collaboration and advancements in the joint State Department Border Security program, specifically CBP.
Ladies and gentlemen, in two thousand twenty-one, the United States Embassy in Praia launched a Border Security Program to help Cape Verde protect trade and travel. While attention is always focused on drug, arms, and wildlife trafficking, we must not neglect the trafficking of counterfeit goods.
Implementing Intellectual Property Rights and combating counterfeit goods are crucial to preserving legitimate trade, innovation, and consumer safety. Estimates by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimate the international trade in counterfeits at five hundred billion US dollars annually.
The same transnational criminal organizations involved in the smuggling of narcotics, people, and weapons are also involved in the illicit trafficking of counterfeit goods. This illicit trade not only hurts local businesses, innovators, but also puts consumers at risk. From trademark infringement to counterfeit pharmaceuticals, intellectual property rights violations pose a serious threat.
That is why the United States remains committed to stopping all forms of illicit trade and enforcing intellectual property rights. As part of international copyright treaties, Cape Verde’s investment in intellectual property rights enforcement is visible today through this workshop with the Institute for Quality Management and Intellectual Property and its partners. During these three days, you will have the opportunity to hear from experts from US Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Patent and Trademark Office.
I anticipate that this workshop will be the first of many engagements with the United States Customs and Border Protection.
