Reinforcing the EU´s commitment to stronger collaboration, the 10th High-Level Meeting on Intellectual Property (IP) Crime, organised by EUIPO and hosted by Eurojust in The Hague, brought together representatives from other EU institutions (Europol, Frontex, OLAF, CEPOL), the European Commission, the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU and national authorities.

Chaired by EUIPO Executive Director João Negrão, discussions focused on the growing involvement of organised networks in IP crime, particularly in high-risk sectors involving goods that pose serious threats to consumer health and safety. The meeting also highlighted the launch of the 2026-2029 European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) cycle, aimed at strengthening cross- border cooperation and agreement between the parties.  In this context, EUIPO and Eurojust signed an additional Service Level Agreement as a key step in further reinforcing this cooperation.

Priorities and actions

Participants agreed that effective enforcement of IP rights is essential to protect citizens and ensure that innovation delivers economic value for legitimate businesses, with particular attention to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are more exposed to IP crime and face greater challenges in enforcing their rights.

The Executive Director of the EUIPO, João Negrão, said: “The value of intellectual property rights depends on the ability to enforce them. As infringement becomes increasingly digital – with social media now a key battleground – we face a dual challenge: enforcing IP rights to support the innovation and competitiveness that drive our economy, while confronting organised criminal networks that threaten public health and profit from forced labour. Addressing these threats requires strong cooperation, and EMPACT offers the proven framework to deliver it”.

The President of Eurojust, Michael Schmid, stated: “Criminal prosecutions are a key element to better protect and enforce intellectual property rights within the EU. They require close cooperation with prosecutors and judges beyond our borders – for instance in cases that involve the outsourcing of dedicated servers providing video and live-streaming content. This is precisely where Eurojust’s expertise as a unique platform for international judicial cooperation comes into play, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with the EUIPO”.

The meeting also addressed the misuse of small packages to distribute counterfeit goods through e-commerce. Fragmented, low-value consignments are increasingly used to evade controls and enforcement. The introduction of a levy on small packages, applying from July 2026, was noted as a measure to close enforcement gaps and deter the systematic abuse of parcel flows for illicit trade.

Cooperation under the new EMPACT cycle

EU authorities agreed to reinforce cross-border cooperation and capacity building, following upon the actions carried out during the 2022–2025 period.

The discussions also covered investments in digital enforcement tools, including the IP Enforcement Portal (IPEP) and the IP Enforcement Dashboard, to strengthen intelligence sharing and operational coordination among authorities.

Participants addressed, as well, the expanding scope of IP enforcement, including craft and industrial geographical indications and the reform of design protection, highlighting the need for approaches that reflect the realities of digital commerce.

The joint conclusions adopted reaffirm the commitment to coordinated EU action against IP crime and to providing practical support for businesses to safeguard innovation and competitiveness.

Source: https://www.euipo.europa.eu/en/news/eu-steps-up-fight-against-ip-crime-to-protect-innovation-and-competitiveness