UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, endorses the initiatives of the forthcoming G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany in June 2007, to clarify “the strategies of industry and business to…
UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, endorses the initiatives of the forthcoming G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany in June 2007, to clarify “the strategies of industry and business to prevent counterfeiting and piracy” as the association stated.
According to UFI, the association is keenly aware of IPR issues and is committed to taking measures to help battle against IPR infractions.
The exhibition industry has been active at every level: from exhibition organizers helping their exhibitors to national exhibition associations supporting their members. UFI has signed IPR agreements in certain countries, including China, to help raise awareness at the level of local authorities to support the exhibition industry in its combat against this widespread problem.
UFI has pro-actively included a clause on IPR in its Statutes wherein each UFI member signs the “UFI Code of Ethics”, agreeing to “respect the intellectual property of others and to protect the confidentiality of privileged information provided to us during business activities.”
Jochen Witt, UFI President, stated that, “In supporting the G8 initiatives, UFI must stress that
it is important that the legal, financial and administrative consequences of these measures are considered in cooperation with the exhibition professionals involved. The exhibition industry should not be penalised by inappropriate initiatives implementing IPR measures or the strength of the exhibition industry as a powerful and unique marketing tool will be diminished.”
“In addition to the role the exhibition industry plays in the growth of international trade, exhibitions provide excellent opportunities to gather information on competitors and to discover the existence of new products and services, hence pinpointing potential IPR infractions at their initial stage of development.
It is equally important to consider the appropriate measures to be adopted for all those countries which are not part of the G8 and where IPR issues might pose an even greater threat. As the global association representing all sectors of the exhibition industry, UFI would like to cooperate with the G8 in the elaboration of measures to ensure effective IPR protection and enforcement.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
