SIA Joins Effort to Develop International Anti-counterfeiting Curriculum for Customs Officers

by Semiconductor Industry Association

Last week, SIA participated in sessions hosted by the World Customs Organization (WCO) to develop anti-counterfeiting resources for customs officers around the world. The meetings covered a broad range of counterfeit products, including semiconductors. Experts representing rights holders and customs agencies participated in the week-long development series, including customs officials from the United States, Hong Kong, Mexico and Nigeria.

The curriculum will be offered by the International IP Crime Investigators College in online modules free to customs officers from any nation. Much of the training will focus on the public health and safety risks posed by counterfeits, including the dangers of counterfeit semiconductors. SIA’s Anti-counterfeiting Task Force (ACTF) currently trains customs officers on a regular basis in the United States and partners with other World Semiconductor Council (WSC) anti-counterfeiting members to offer trainings to customs officers in other countries. The inclusion of semiconductor content in the new online training modules will bolster our overall enforcement efforts.

For many years, SIA and its member companies have worked to raise awareness of the threats posed by counterfeit semiconductors and to reduce the supply of these illegal products. Working closely with distributors, customers and government agencies, SIA has developed a set of straightforward, proven approaches — outlined in SIA’s Anti-counterfeiting Whitepaper — for avoiding counterfeit semiconductor products.

The new online training modules will offer yet another tool to help stop counterfeits. Training will be available to customs officers seeking to learn or build expertise in identifying shipments of counterfeit goods. Officers will be able to access the trainings in multiple languages and earn certification in various areas of expertise related to counterfeit awareness, detention, and seizure. SIA and industry partners are hopeful that increased access to well-developed anti-counterfeiting training material will lead to increased seizures of shipments of counterfeits.