Head of detectives of the BEB Tkachuk announced the creation of a contact center for rights holders.

The Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine presented a contact center for rights holders and experts on intellectual property protection. This center will be based on the department that deals with combating counterfeiting. This was announced by the head of the Main Directorate of Detectives of the BEB Oleksandr Tkachuk during the forum 'Criminal Legal Protection of Intellectual Property in the Conditions of War'. This is reported by 'Glavkom' referring to UNN. According to Tkachuk, rights holders will be able to register online in the center, undergo verification, and communicate with Bureau experts.

‘This step, along with other measures, will contribute to improving communication, as well as the quality of monitoring and responding to illegal circulation of counterfeit goods,’ Tkachuk noted.

In addition, Oleksandr Tkachuk spoke about the achievements of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine in the field of intellectual property rights protection.

‘Currently, detectives are focusing on uncovering underground productions and networks for selling counterfeit goods. We have discovered and halted the activities of 16 large-scale counterfeit product production sites of well-known global brands in various regions of Ukraine. Currently, 55 criminal proceedings have been sent to court against 95 individuals. Since the beginning of this year, 17 individuals have been notified of suspicion. The total estimated value of the seized counterfeit products exceeds 480 million hryvnias,’ Tkachuk reported.

The Bureau's experts see the main sources of counterfeiting in Ukraine in underground workshops and smuggled goods from China and Turkey, which are illegally assembled across the customs border. These goods are distributed through wholesale markets and online trade, particularly through social networks, especially Instagram. To improve the situation, quality cooperation with lawmakers, governmental bodies, the Ukrainian National Intellectual Property Office, and rights holders is necessary. The Bureau of Economic Security suggests attracting the attention of legal entities, creating a working group with the participation of UKRNOIVI and representatives of business associations to develop joint legislative initiatives regarding intellectual property protection. This will help in responding quickly to cases of illegal trade in counterfeit goods. The forum also discussed legislative initiatives proposed by the Bureau. Among them are strengthening responsibility for violations of intellectual property rights and introducing criminal liability for legal entities. These norms will help align Ukrainian legislation with EU laws, which is one of the conditions for joining the European Union. Forum participants supported the Bureau experts' proposals and noted the positive dynamics in the protection of intellectual property.

‘We see progress in the Bureau's work on intellectual property protection, observe operational information exchange, and are ready to support the Bureau's initiatives,’ stated Deputy General Director of Philip Morris Ukraine Mykhailo Polyakov.

The event was organized with the participation of representatives from various organizations and rights holders.