Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian senior government officials, judges and intellectual property specialists gathered in Riga last week

Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian senior government officials, judges and intellectual property specialists gathered in Riga last week to meet European and U.S. government officials and business executives from world renown companies to develop joint strategies in fighting trademark violations, patent infringements and counterfeits in the Baltic states. The Baltic Region Seminar on Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement, sponsored by the Coalition for Intellectual Property Rights, the Latvian Patent and Trademark Office and the Patent Bureau of Lithuania, was held on Oct. 25-26 at Riga's Latvian Society House. The seminar focused on the growing problem in the Baltic states of counterfeits, trademark violations and patent infringements, which have costly financial and other consequences for consumers, governments and businesses. In addition to financial losses to business and government from the violation of intellectual property rights, consumer health and safety are put at risk, as shoppers unknowingly buy potentially hazardous counterfeit products. The Baltics with only 8 million people are not high on CIPR's agenda. Russia and Ukraine have much more to worry about. Losses caused by counterfeiting on the Russian market amount to approximately $1 billion a year, according to a survey of 135 major international companies operating in Russia which was conducted at the beginning of 2000. Findings obtained demonstrate that, the way most Western companies see it, a counterfeit industry does not only contribute to the abuse of international brand holder's rights but also runs counter to the Russian government's efforts to attract foreign investment. In addition, it contributes to foregone profits of privately owned companies ($5 million to $50 million annually) and budget arrears (estimated at a few hundred thousand U.S. dollars).