Inventors, industrial designers, and creative artists in the Northern Triangle and throughout the world are creating new inventions that help grow the local economy. Counterfeit goods not only take away income from those who labored to create it, they also often do not meet quality standards, and can be harmful to consumers. The United States, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras face common challenges in protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, which is why it is so important that we work together to develop ever-improving practices for intellectual property protection and enforcement. This week, a team from the US Patent and Trademark Office are in San Salvador to provide training on the latest best practices to regional customs officials and prosecutors, to help them enforce intellectual property rights and help the region’s creators continue to drive economic growth in El Salvador and in the region.
During the three-day conference, participants are discussing a variety of issues related to the protection of intellectual property rights. Some of the topics discussed are the impact of counterfeiting and piracy, techniques to investigate intellectual property crimes, border measures that include seizures, confiscation and destruction of goods, and the importance of dissuasive sentencing to fight organized transnational crime.
