The Intellectual Property Action Group (IPACT) is conducting a series of training workshops with prosecutors across the country, to help fight counterfeiting and piracy in SA.
The workshops follow similar training sessions with the South African Police Service last year.
IPACT, together with Microsoft SA, the US Embassy and other industry bodies, will focus on defining and understanding trademark and copyright law, as well as the procedures under the Counterfeit Goods Act from a prosecution perspective.
The training sessions come amid a growing counterfeiting and piracy problem in SA, says Braam Schoeman, head of the piracy enforcement unit of Recording Industry South Africa.
"The idea is to share knowledge and experience on counterfeiting and piracy issues, as well as understand the legislation and its related prosecutions, to drive enforcement of intellectual property law in SA."
He says the most common form of counterfeiting in SA is music cassettes and not CDs or DVDs, as not everyone can afford these yet. He says due to counterfeiting and piracy, local musicians are the ones losing the most. He adds that the South African Revenue Services last year seized R380 million worth of counterfeited goods at border posts alone.
The workshops will take place in Kimberly (6 April), Bloemfontein (7 April), Cape Town (3 May), Port Elizabeth (4 May) and Durban (5 May).
For more information, contact Lisa Clark at (011) 361-7465 or e-mail v-lisacl@microsoftsa.co.za.
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