The Urgent Imperative: Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy.
The National Association to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (NASCAP) is convening this critical conference, “Special 301 IPR Sanctions: The Global Spotlight Returns to India,” to confront the escalating challenges posed by global intellectual property (IP) infringement. The necessity of this dialogue is heightened by the findings of the congressionally mandated U.S. Special 301 Report, which highlights pervasive issues such as weak enforcement, inadequate protection of trade secrets, online piracy, and counterfeit trade. This year, India has notably been re-added to the U.S. Priority Watch List, alongside nations like China and Russia, underscoring inconsistent progress on IPR protection. NASCAP, committed to strengthening laws and policies, aims to use this event to address these concerns, foster innovation, and uphold the integrity of both national and global economies by effectively combating the organised circulation of counterfeit and pirated products. 

The conference is designed to deepen dialogue among key IPR stakeholders, including international businesses, trade associations, and government bodies, with the core objective of building a more enabling environment for brand owners and inventors in India and worldwide. The comprehensive itinerary covers vital topics ranging from the specific impact of the Special 301 Report on international branding and investments to a detailed mapping of vulnerabilities across digital piracy, the pharmaceutical sector, and border control. By facilitating a robust exchange on the Indian and international legal frameworks essential for preventing piracy, this event serves as a pivotal platform to drive collaborative action, secure consumer health and safety, and ensure that the efforts to “Kill Duplicates” translate into effective, real-world enforcement.

The recent surge in global incidents involving counterfeit and substandard cough syrups has resulted in significant mortality, predominantly affecting children across several nations. These tragic events have unequivocally revealed critical deficiencies in both pharmaceutical manufacturing practices and national regulatory oversight mechanisms. Consequently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and various local authorities have initiated investigations. This crisis, therefore, places the management of pharmaceutical counterfeiting and its profound consequences on public health and commercial investments at the forefront of both global healthcare policy and trade instruments, such as the Special 301 Report. This alignment underscores the imperative to address the systemic challenges posed by the illicit trade in pharmaceuticals, which jeopardises both humanity and legitimate economic interests.

Access the full Special 301 Report for detailed analysis and findings here.
Highlights from the 2023 Edition.
The official invitation for SPECIAL 301 IPR Sanctions: The Global Spotlight Returns to India can be viewed here.