Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Training Program In A July 2004 Meeting Between Ambassador

cldp.doc.gov, Jul 28, 2005 Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Training Program In A July 2004 Meeting Between Ambassador

CLDP received recognition of the success of CLDP's Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Training program in a July 2004 meeting between Ambassador Richard W. Erdman and the head of Procter & Gamble's (P&G's) Algerian operations. The executive expressed his appreciation for CLDP providing legal assistance to Algerian judges related to intellectual property rights enforcement. He credited CLDP with the successful outcome of two recent intellectual property rights lawsuits brought by P&G in Algeria, noting that the judge presiding over each case had received intellectual property rights enforcement expertise through CLDP's programs. He continued that P&G estimated that the previous intellectual property rights problems in Algeria affected as much as 40% of P&G's market in Algeria, however now due to the newly increased intellectual property rights enforcement, all counterfeit P&G products have disappeared from the Algerian market. The new intellectual property rights enforcement environment has resulted in record sales for P&G this year and has revived P&G's interest in investing in operations in Algeria.

Since 2003, CLDP has developed a multi-phase assistance strategy in coordination with the Algerian judges' training institute (INM) in order to address the challenge of developing the Algerian judiciary's capacity to adjudicate disputes arising under IP laws. Due to CLDP projects, Algeria now maintains a critical mass of judges, prosecutors, and government officials who have been trained in enforcing and adjudicating disputes arising under IP laws.