Challenges
Teams are invited to work on one, two or all of the challenges during the event. Each challenge has a different stakeholder approach to the interconnected challenge of fighting counterfeits:
When addressing these challenges, teams should always remember one key player in the chain: the owner of the genuine product and intellectual property, also known as the ‘rights holder’.
The rights holders are the alpha and omega of this chain, as they know whether the product is genuine and alert authorities to fakes derived from their product. They are present in all three challenges and all along the supply chain:
- For consumers, the rights holder is the source of goods ordered and the one to contact when there are any problems.
- For customs authorities, the rights holder advises when a product is fake or genuine and authorises the seizure of goods.
- For logistics operators, the rights holder is the client who trusts them with safe transport.
Rights holders must be able to assure the authenticity of the goods produced and sold, and, together with the logistics operators and customs authorities, have to manage safe shipment until delivery into the hands of the consumer.
As such, teams should consider how and when to involve rights holders while developing their prototype.
Blockathon Team blockathon@euipo.europa.eu