In the final quarter of 2014 Odessa customs found several consignments of counterfeit goods being transported through Odessa and Ilyichevsk ports. Among the findings were more than 50,000 pairs of sport shoes illegally marked with Nike, Puma and New Balance trademarks with an estimated value of EUR 230,000.

The protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) is a priority under the Association Agreement and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) signed between Ukraine and the EU last year.  The DCFTA comes into force on 1 January 2016.

The Ukrainian customs is a key player in the area of IPR enforcement and had requested EUBAM’s support in IPR protection. In response, EUBAM organized a seminar on counterfeiting and piracy together with trademark right-holders last September.

The seminar disseminated specific technical information provided by trademark right-holders (such as Lacoste, Christian Dior, Chanel, Harley-Davidson, Puma, Nike, Adidas etc) and shared EU best practice on identifying counterfeit goods. The information provided enabled customs officers to block attempts to import counterfeit goods into Ukraine and helped them develop risk profiles of commonly counterfeited goods. EUBAM IPR experts expect that it will significantly improve the targeting of counterfeited goods at the border and these latest seizures appear to confirm this.