OCO in partnership with the USPTO had 4 of its members attend an Asia Regional Workshop on Enforcement Against Trade in Counterfeit Food, Beverages, Cosmetics, and Fast Moving Consumer Goods, which was held on April 2-5, 2019, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and was co-organized and co-sponsored by the USPTO and the U.S. Department of Justice, with administrative and speaker support from the ASEAN Secretariat, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of State INL Office, EUIPO IP Key Southeast Asia Project, the U.S. Embassy Hanoi and Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City, and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Government of Vietnam.

The workshop was attended by approximately 150 government officials and speakers, including law enforcement and regulatory investigators, Police, IP officers, consumer protection and border enforcement agency officials, legislative staff, customs officials and public prosecutors from 30 countries namely, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Fiji, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and the U.S., as well as international intergovernmental organizations as Oceania Customs Organization and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

OCO was Part of the discussion panel that had topics that ranged from strategies in criminal investigations into counterfeit products, evidence and intelligence gathering, prosecution and sentencing considerations, public awareness and consumer education strategies, regulatory enforcement approaches, and technological-based approaches to detection and prevention.

The workshop attendees also visited the Cat Lai New Saigon Port and the UPS Shipping Facility at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, where they received a briefing and tour of the respective operational facilities.