Professional Certificate in Anti-Counterfeiting and Brand Protection

Intellectual Property Violations Defined
ACAPP001

• Classify and describe primary intellectual property protections and their respective definitions, relating specifically to US federal law
• Identify intellectual property infringement
• Explain the impact of counterfeit goods on industry, society, and consumers

Culture of Product Counterfeiting
ACAPP002

• Identify how socio-economic conditions affect the production and consumption of counterfeit goods
• Describe the risk-reward structure of product counterfeiting
• Examine factors driving production and consumption of counterfeit goods
• Describe how counterfeiting organizations operate their businesses

Key Organizations and Resources for Brand Protection
ACAPP003

• Describe the differences between regulatory, industry, academic and professional law enforcement organizations
• Distinguish the roles and responsibilities of law enforcement organizations and areas of specialty
• Identify valuable resources for brand protection within a modern organization

Legal Aspects of Global Counterfeiting
ACAPP004

• Discuss the legal basis for identifying the violation of product counterfeiting
• Explore how to protect your brand against counterfeiting through the use of trademark rights
• Combat counterfeiting through the effective use of enforcement strategies

Partnerships for Brand Protection: Law Enforcement and Custom Agencies
ACAPP005

• Understand the jurisdictional differences of law enforcement agencies and the laws they enforce
• Build an effective network of law enforcement partners
• How to educate and train law enforcement about your brand and products
• Identify relevant laws and regulations

Conducting Product Counterfeiting Investigations
ACAPP006

• Understand the elements of an investigation process and utilize basic investigation techniques for counterfeit products
• Describe how to build an investigation by integrating identified elements of proof with the appropriate standard of evidence
• Identify the importance of reporting and lead generation and explain how a data management system enhances the investigation process
• Generate performance metrics used to support investigation activity and provide value to the brand owner

Legitimate vs. Illicit Supply Chains
ACAPP007

• Define segments of the supply chain from raw materials to product placement and understand the possible risk to the brand at each point
• Discuss and identify relationships between illicit and legitimate supply chains, including: diversion, gray market, unauthorized production, theft, return fraud, and repackaging
• Describe ways and methods to protect and secure the supply chain

Brand Protection Strategies for Managing Supply Chain Relationships
ACAPP008

• Explain the goals in selecting a partner
• Discuss creating the agreement or contract with conditions that aid the brand owner, subject to legal guidance
• Discuss the value in monitoring and auditing internal processes and third-party partners

Identifying a Brand Protection Team
ACAPP009

• Identify and discuss roles of a brand protection team • Use the RASIC model to establish team member roles and responsibilities
• Discuss the contributions and support provided by the internal champions
• Develop a strategy to secure resources from stakeholders

Identifying Anti-Counterfeiting Tactics and Technologies
ACAPP010

• Identify strategic objectives of a brand protection program
• Understand the key factors to consider in selecting the best tactics for a specific product and problem
• Develop knowledge of the different brand protection technologies

Developing Networks and Counter-Intelligence Strategies for Brand Protection
ACAPP011

• Learn the criteria for identifying in-country partners within a given industry and the elements of an in-country threat analysis
• Identify context-specific strategies for gathering counter-intelligence data and understand why it is important to safeguard anti-counterfeiting strategies
• Understand the value of benchmarking against other brands

Market Intelligence: Identifying Counterfeit Products
ACAPP012

• Describe relevant market structures and how counterfeit products infiltrate them
• Discuss how to protect against the presence of counterfeits, develop skills that can be used for gathering of information, and assess the problem before taking action
• How to utilize external and internal partners in detecting, assessing, and acting against counterfeiters in the marketplace

Global Management and Enforcement of Trademark Rights
ACAPP013

• Discuss the importance of a company’s intellectual property
• Identify strategies to manage intellectual property
• Discuss the importance of collaboration in the protection of company trademarks
• Identify strategies for managing intellectual property globally, including in the EU, China, India, UAE

Brand Protection Communications: Training and Strategies
ACAPP014

• Design an internal communications plan to raise brand protection awareness of employees and strategic partners
• Develop strategies for external strategic communication with law enforcement, business partners, and consumers

Protect or Perish: Using Risk Assessment and Global Standards for Brand Protection
ACAPP015

• Define and understand the need and implications for conducting a risk assessment for counterfeit product
• Identify organization and industry specific standards
• Describe the influence of geographic location on regulatory compliance and customary practices

Prioritizing Brand Protection: Analytics and Risk Management
ACAPP016

• Develop and implement an internal process for resources prioritization that responds to the identified risk of counterfeit products and describe the implications
• Determine what data to collect, analyze, and measure to reduce risk of counterfeit products
• Discuss how to execute risk assessment for counterfeit products and analyze results

Anti-Counterfeiting Incident Management
ACAPP017

• Define reliable sources of information, and determine how to compile, characterize, and organize it
• Evaluate incident related data to identify company risks, counterfeiting trends and patterns, and determine root causes
• Determine opportunities for enhancement of the current state
• Document incidents and learnings, and communicate revisions in processes and practices with information sources