On September 25, 2026, the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI), in partnership with the Anti-Counterfeiting Association REACT and with the support of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section (INL) of the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Moldova, organized a national workshop on intellectual property rights enforcement.

The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the General Police Inspectorate, the Customs Service, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the State Inspectorate for Supervision of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection (SISNFPCP), the National Food Safety Agency (NFSA), the Competition Council, the General Border Police Inspectorate, and other institutions responsible for intellectual property law enforcement. Approximately 60 specialists participated in the workshop.

The organization of the event aimed to provide practical information from right holders for the identification of counterfeit products or products suspected of being counterfeit, as well as to present solutions for mitigating this phenomenon.

In the opening of the workshop, Natalia Mogol, Deputy Director of AGEPI, welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of cooperation among the institutions responsible for enforcing intellectual property rights. Dumitru Vleju, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, highlighted the heightened attention given to this field, including in the context where, starting from January 1, 2026, AGEPI is subordinated to the Ministry of Justice. Steven Anderson, INL Director at the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, noted that the protection of intellectual property rights and the promotion of a secure business environment are shared interests of the Republic of Moldova and the United States. Kazimieras Sarzickas, Regional Director North East Europe & Central Asia of the REACT Association, emphasized the importance of cooperation between rightholders and the national institutions responsible for enforcing intellectual property rights.

The proceedings continued with practical sessions on identifying counterfeit products, delivered by Dorian Chiroșca, a lawyer, representative of the REACT Association, and Thomas Jullien from the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB). Presentations covered authentication methods, indicators of counterfeit goods, current industry trends, aspects of evidence handling and preservation, and ways to cooperate with law enforcement authorities. Represented trademarks included Apple, Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB), Diageo, Deere & Company, Puma, WD/SanDisk, Adidas, Hugo Boss, Coty, and Swarovski.

A dedicated session focused on presenting lessons learned during the study visit to the United States, focused on interinstitutional coordination, border enforcement strategies, investigative techniques, the exchange of information and operational data, risk analysis, and prosecution practices, as well as practical recommendations for strengthening intellectual property rights enforcement in the Republic of Moldova.

Kristi O’Malley, Legal Advisor within the International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) Program of the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, presented practical experiences and case studies on combating counterfeit goods, including operational approaches, interinstitutional and cross-border cooperation, and examples of successful investigations and prosecutions.

The workshop concluded with a conclusions and networking session, which offered participants the opportunity to continue the dialogue and strengthen cooperation in the field of intellectual property rights enforcement.