On 14 May, as part of our World IP Day activities, Senior Consultant Anushka Arya from Rouse’s Jakarta office conducted a virtual training session attended by 17 college students from Nepal on the importance of trade marks and brands and the dangers of counterfeit products. Using a presentation developed by INTA’s Unreal Campaign and subsequent discussion, the students of the Mitrataa Foundation increased their own knowledge as well as gained the tools to share the important messages of the Campaign with their fellow students and schoolchildren across Nepal.
The interactive session started with an introduction to trade marks going into the importance of trade mark protection for brands and the community. With a focus on educating the attendees on the social and economic harms of counterfeit goods, the presentation covered several examples of brand counterfeiting, statistics on loss of global trade and impact on health and human life due to counterfeits and the role of educating consumers on anti-counterfeiting measures.
After the presentation the students’ knowledge was tested to “spot the fake”! The activity reinforced the role of trade marks and helped the audience to identify fake products. There followed a lively discussion about the students’ own encounters with fake products as well as insightful questions to Anushka.
The Unreal Campaign is the consumer awareness programme of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and aims to educate young consumers (14-to 23-years-old) about the dangers of counterfeiting and the importance of trademarks. The Mitrataa Foundation, founded by former Rouser Bec Ordish in 2000, works with the girls and women of Nepal to give them opportunities through education and jobs training. This is the first time the Unreal Campaign has been taken to Nepal.