On April 26, 2012, starting at 13.00, in the conference hall of the Hotel “Jolly Alon” (37, Maria Cibotari Str.) will be held a Press Conference on the occasion of launch of Public Consumer Awareness Campaign entitled “STOP Piracy and Counterfeiting!” The action falls within the Plan of measures on celebration of the World Intellectual Property Day in the Republic of Moldova.

The Public Campaign “STOP Piracy and Counterfeiting!” is organized by AGEPI within the Twinning Project “Support to Implementation and Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the Republic of Moldova”, supported by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The Campaign in question will take place from April 26 to October 26, 2012. Campaign partners are: Broadcasting Coordination Council, companies “Microsoft Moldova”, “Moldcell”, “Viorica-Cosmetic” JSC, “Sympals”.

By this action the organizers aim to sensitize the largest possible part of society, especially the younger generation, with reference to the negative effects of the phenomena of counterfeiting and piracy on economic, social and cultural development of the country.

During the Conference launching the Campaign “STOP Piracy and Counterfeiting!” will be launched the website: www.stoppirateria.md, specifically dedicated to the fight against counterfeiting and piracy in the Republic of Moldova. Also, on this issue will be presented two audio-video advertising spots, which then will be broadcast on the major radio and TV stations of the Republic.

The same day, starting at 16.00, in the square of the Opera and Ballet Theatre from Chisinau will be organized a flash mob, to be attended by over 200 people. Also, in public places will be distributed posters, stickers, informative flyers, advertising cards (including in public transport) on the theme of fighting counterfeiting and piracy.

The spectacular evolution, registered in recent years in the field of information technology and distribution networks have significantly increased the complexity and scope of damage caused by counterfeiting and piracy phenomena. In view of this, consumer awareness activity inevitably imposes the need to increase efforts to improve consumer awareness of the importance of intellectual property protection, to develop new tools to sensitize society about the negative impact of these phenomena on economic, cultural and social development of the country.

Existence in our country of an adequate legal and regulatory framework of protection and enforcement of IP rights, of the institutions charged with the responsibility for grant, protection and defense of IP rights, capacity building of this institutions, attraction of private sector and rightholders in ensuring enforcement of IP rights is the necessary base to increase the level of culture in the field of protection and enforcement of IP rights, to reduce the negative impact of counterfeiting and piracy, their destructive effects on population’s health and security, the economy as a whole.

The organizers have set themselves as an object to massively inform the consumers, to disseminate the relevant information, explaining the risks linked to the phenomena in question, to support rightholders and representatives of business/entrepreneurship, to combine and enhance efforts of authorities charged with responsibilities for prevention and fight against counterfeiting and piracy phenomena.

The proposed actions for accomplishment of Campaign’s objectives include:

• distribution during the campaign of promotional anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy materials among consumers, pupils, students;
• advertising panels dedicated to the campaign, located in various districts of the municipality;
• training seminars and round tables organized by AGEPI and partners involved in the campaign during the campaign;
• consultations offered to consumers during the campaign about the modalities of fighting counterfeiting and piracy;
• a survey on the level of population awareness of the risks generated by counterfeiting and piracy, conducted in April 2012;
• an interuniversity student conference entitled “STOP Piracy and Counterfeiting!”, organized by AGEPI jointly with AESM and University “A. Russo” from Balti on 26 April;
• a seminar themed “Jour de marques”, organized jointly with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry France-Moldova in June 2012;
• a regional symposium on counterfeiting and piracy counteraction issues, with participation of international experts, organized in October 2012.

Upon evaluation of the campaign results will be taken into account the following successful criteria:

• receipt of the campaign message by about 100,000 people in target groups;
• 100,000 visits on the campaign website;
• 500 calls with requests for information;
• taking over of the campaign message by at least ten blogs and radio-TV channels;
• number of journalistic investigations on counterfeit/pirated goods;
• reduction of piracy rate;
• increase of the number of alternative legal sources of access to the objects of copyright and related rights (including development in the Republic of Moldova of sites and companies offering legal ways to access the software).

Details on the Communication Plan and Action Plan proposed by AGEPI within the Campaign “STOP Piracy and Counterfeiting!” you can find on the website www.stoppirateria.md.

To ensure continuity of public campaign, there will remain under active mode the page www.stoppirateria.md, the maintenance of which will be provided by AGEPI. Institutions and competent authorities, and rightholders will be asked to contribute with information and concrete actions to prevent and combat these phenomena, to stop the spread of counterfeit and pirated products. On the mentioned site will be published the most relevant cases of litigation based on counterfeiting and piracy, as well as successful cases in the fight against these phenomena, will be monitored the measures taken in this direction by the Republic of Moldova.

AGEPI Press Service
tel.: 40-06-57, 40-05-88