A training seminar was conducted at the Mercure Vientiane Hotel in Vientiane, Laos, on September 14, 2012, cohosted by Tilleke & Gibbins and the Laos Department of Intellectual Property. As the legal representatives for a group of popular brands concerned with counterfeiters infringing their rights, Tilleke & Gibbins organized the intellectual property enforcement training session to provide knowledge on the methods of detecting both counterfeit and imitated goods belonging to these companies, and to promote cooperation between the companies and the relevant government authorities concerned with protecting their IP rights.

The event attracted media attention, including an article in the Vientiane Times, which detailed the impact of counterfeit goods in the Lao market and the importance of the seminar. Experienced Tilleke & Gibbins lawyers were quoted with reference to how they believed the government and the private sector should act to tackle the problem, and how this seminar was intended to “create conditions favorable for trading activities and develop a more investment-friendly climate.”