London conference to offer fashion anti-counterfeiting solutions

The ‘Protect the Brand’ conference, organized by ASBCI and Fashion Business International Magazine, will take place on Tuesday October 30 at the Holiday Inn, Carburton Street, London, W1E 5EE.

Billions of pounds are diverted worldwide from the business of leading fashion brands, by counterfeiters who wish to benefit illegally from the investment these brands have made in their name and reputation. At the same time, creative designers frequently see their work copied by more powerful interests.

The conference will explain the background and scale of one of the most important issues in the fashion and textile industry at the moment – fashion counterfeiting and design copying.

Content covered at the conference will include:

• The size of the problem and it's consequences
• The difference between creative thought and creative interpretation
• What is a copy? Design protection, rules, legislation and advice
• What is acceptable interpretation and how to control product development
• Piracy on a global scale – counterfeiting and organized crime
• Fakes and the consumer
• How counterfeiting operates and strategies for brand protection
• Investigation and enforcement
• Hidden deterrents – existing solutions and technologies for the future

Just a few of the key speakers include:

• Dids Macdonald, CEO, ACID (Anti Copying in Design)
• Jeremy Hertzog, partner, Mischon de Reya (Solicitors)
• Max Vetter, ICC Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau
• Simon Tracey, head of contentious intellectual property, Davenport Lyons (Solicitors)
• Chrissie Morse, European brand protection manager, Timberland UK, and chairman ACG (Anti Counterfeiting Group) Clothing and Footwear Group
• Spencer Burgess, director, Carratu International (Investigators)
• Astrid Mitchell, marketing director, Reconnaissance International (Authentication Consultancy)
• Alan Holder, group best practice manager, Pentland Group (Retailers)

Julie King, head of department of fashion and textiles, De Montford University, will chair the conference.

Those interested in attending should contact Stephanie Ingham, ASBCI Company Secretary, at stephanie@asbci.co.uk or 44 (0)1422 354 666.