On April 4, 2018 we have again assisted to the Anti-Counterfeiting Summit held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Buenos Aires City organized by TODOTVMEDIA and Latin America Anti-Piracy & Intellectual Property Consulting (LAAPIP).
We had the opportunity to witness different panels in which topics of great current interest in the field of intellectual property were exposed and debated.
The authors, the television and film industry and the producers of the sector are alarmed by the growing implementation of IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) devices, through which copyright is curtailed.
By acquiring the device and without monthly payments, the user will access a platform to watch movies, series, live cable channels. The companies that develop these devices do not own the copyright but they ilegally take the signals.
While to combat this problem an effective method is the blocking of IP addresses, to achieve this it is required a judicial authorization which usually takes months. All attendees agreed that it is necessary to collaborate with online sales platforms (such as Mercado Libre, Amazon) and the commitment of government authorities to prevent these devices from entering the country.
In addition, representatives of the firms Fox and Turner, the alliance in charge of the transmission of the Argentine football matches, stressed their concern related to the existence of these devices and pointed out that their acquisition not only goes against intellectual property, but it also attempts against the sources of job.
The authorities of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) briefed on the case of Sportflix Mexico. This platform was intended to be the “Netflix of Sports”, without holding the corresponding authorizations of the trademark and copyright holders, and thanks to an anonymous report received by the Institute, its launch was prevented and its facilities were closed.
Finally, the importance of the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime was highlighted, which basically aims to establish the bases for international cooperation and the exchange of information regarding these crimes. This treaty has 55 State members and fortunately Argentina has started the accession process at the end of last year.