IACC forges closer ties with Italian police

The International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC) has pledged to work more closely with Italy's Guardia di Finanza (GdF) on anti-counterfeiting operations.

A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) - signed at GdF General Headquarters in Rome - will see the organizations "share information and best practices on brand protection, with a focus on identifying and fighting online counterfeiting."

IACC president Bob Barchiesi said the IACC's "anti-counterfeiting expertise coupled with GdF's on-the-ground knowledge will strengthen local law enforcement’s ability to prevent counterfeiters from taking advantage of legitimate businesses and unsuspecting consumers."

The IACC and GdF have already worked together on some activities. Last November, the two organizations ran a training programme for more than 600 of Italy’s financial police on developments in counterfeiting as well as on tools for combating fakes online.

Eighteen IACC brand members also attended an officer-training event, conducting product identification training in Rome.

"Counterfeiting and piracy offences pose serious threats both to economy and to society," said General Giorgio Toschi, who is in command of the GdF.

"Partnership with the IACC will strongly support the fight against such international crimes, fostering the correct and proper functioning of the internal market and assuring consumer protection."

According to GdF data, the counterfeiting trade is worth an estimated €7bn ($7.8bn) a year, and leads to a loss to the nation of almost €5bn, equivalent to 1.74% of the country's total revenue.

Seizures of counterfeit or dangerous products by the GdF have risen from 90m items in 2006 to over 393m in 2015.