CLDP held a Eurasia Intellectual Property Customs Enforcement and Coordination Workshop, October 26-28, 2011 in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Eurasia IP Customs Workshop was designed to improve the coordination and collaboration between customs authorities of Armenia, Georgia and Turkey in order to better interdict IP infringing goods, including counterfeit and pirated goods. In addition, the program provided a forum for US and international intellectual property rights holders to provide training to regional customs officials on product identification. The program brought customs officials from the three countries together for interactive sessions and presentations on enforcement of IPR, counterfeit product identification, investigation of IP infringing goods, and methods of coordination among the various customs officials.

The goal of the workshop was to increase the adequacy and efficiency of regional customs officials to combat the trade in counterfeit and pirated goods, to increase the efficiency of IPR enforcement in the region, and to promote increased dialogue between regional customs officials and between customs authorities and the private sector.

Speakers at the workshop represented U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the World Customs Organization. Besides customs officials from Armenia, Georgia, and Turkey, in attendance were representatives from USAID, AmCham Georgia, Georgian Copyrights Association, National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the EU Delegation to Georgia. Representatives from Microsoft, UGT, Colgate Palmolive and Procter and Gamble were among the private sector participants who took part in the program.