Fight against counterfeiting – new platform to facilitate the identification of counterfeit goods

The World Customs Organization (WCO) was established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC). It is an independent intergovernmental body with a mission to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of customs administrations. It is the only international organization with competence in customs matters. In 2011 the WCO made available The Interface Public-Members (IPM) platform, which is a unique tool allowing customs officers to verify the authenticity of products and rights holders to share relevant product information online. The platform started out as a genuine and fake database, featuring pictures and basic descriptions of products. After many improvements, the platform has now been developed to a system offering additional options, including the ability to send alerts to customs officers, an e-learning feature and a mobile application. In September 2015, the web and mobile versions of the redesigned new platform was made available to WCO Members. The changes in the platform were based primarily on feedback collected from all stakeholders. The updated platform includes new functionalities and offers users, for example, the ability to search a product simply by scanning the barcode and, when available, verifying a product using security features. For more information about the IPM please click the link below: http://www.wcoipm.org/