E. Panova, Russian Academy of Public Service under the President of the Russian Federation, post-graduate student

Counterfeiting and piracy have reached intolerable proportions in the world. The economic and social well-being of each country is at risk. Development of the criminal industry has changed society vision of the threat and further strengthened a role of Customs services throughout the world in struggle against this 21st-century crime. In this connection in 2006 the World customs organization (WCO) has lead the first analysis of seizures of counterfeit goods on a worldwide scale.

During last 10 years the WCO has made a vigorous effort to protect intellectual property rights in partnership with other international organizations and representatives of a private sector. The only effective riposte to counterfeiting as to 21st-century crime is targeted and concerted international action.

The tendencies revealed by WCO within the analysis are important for the decision of two basic problems of struggle against distribution of counterfeit goods: search of adequate measures used by countries and informing interested parties on the situation.