Hear from global experts in counterfeit crime at Northumbria workshop

6th February 2023

Global experts in counterfeiting are coming to Northumbria University for a Workshop to discuss and share their knowledge on measuring and tackling trademark infringement.

The event at the University’s city centre campus on March 9th is part of a series of events being organised by Professor Xuemei Bian from Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School. These follow a £79,000 grant she was awarded last year by the British Academy to continue her internationally-recognised research into counterfeit crime and the growing influence of social media.

In partnership with the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), the Workshop will explore how research is enabling knowledge exchange, building stronger connections and fostering collaboration between government officials, eminent scientists and business practitioners. It will also share research findings from the British Academy funded project, and of two addition projects commissioned by the UK IPO. The event is open to fellow professionals, students and members of the public.

Professor Bian said: “I would encourage anyone with a professional or personal interest in the damaging impact of trademark infringement and counterfeiting on businesses, customers and economies to sign up for the Workshop. We aim to bring leading intellectual property experts in the world together to discuss trademark issues and share their advanced knowledge. They will come from a wide range of sectors, including business, national and international government agencies, not-for-profit organisations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, university academics and researchers.

With the funding from the British Academy, and in collaboration with the IPO, Professor Bian is working on a research project entitled: Trademark Infringement and Social Media - A Collaborative Approach.

She added: ” “Various anti-counterfeiting measures, including diligent legal litigation, are often implemented to combat counterfeiting. Nevertheless, it continues to thrive, fuelled by the increasing volume of counterfeits on social media platforms. Almost 60,000 active accounts promoting counterfeits were discovered on Instagram in 2019, an increase of more than 171% compared to three years prior. With 45% of the world’s population now active social media users who would be likely to make purchases from social media networks, counterfeits on social media platforms pose a greater risk than ever.”

Workshop details

Date: 9th March 2023 (10am to 4pm, Lunch will be provided)

Venue: Northumbria University, Newcastle

Registration starts: 9.30am

For more information and to book a place contact Professor Xuemei Bian.