The Annual Assembly of REACT was held as a hybrid event in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on April 7-8, 2022, bringing also physically together members of the REACT community from all over the world to fight counterfeit goods. Maria Puronvarsi participated in the event as the representative of Kaulo & Partners and REACT's official partner from Finland.
The members of REACT (The Anti-Counterfeiting Network) are global brand owners who have sought to join forces in the fight against counterfeiting and infringements of brand rights. REACT provides brand owners with an effective tool to fight against infringements of their brand rights globally through REACT’s local partner network.
The program for the two-day event included an annual meeting, key note speeches, and meetings between brand owners and experts. This year’s theme was Smart Solutions in Anti-Counterfeiting Strategies. Special attention was also paid to, for example, trademarks moving into the virtual world and metaverse, as well as the growing number of counterfeit products in various applications and social media platforms, alongside online marketplaces and auction sites.
“The importance of strategy is also emphasized in the fight against counterfeit products. It is important that companies have a brand rights strategy that considers in advance how to monitor and defend own brand rights. Counterfeit products and infringements of brand rights have increasingly moved online, so the importance of online monitoring and detecting online infringements will become increasingly important in the future,” says Maria Puronvarsi.
Networking and meetings with brand owners were the best part of the event
According to Maria, the best part of the event was the meetings with global brand owners representing different industries, and discussions with REACT partners in different countries.
"A reliable network of partners in this field is very important, and personal contacts build mutual trust and streamline the practical cooperation."
"I also had the opportunity to meet many brand owners from both the BtoB and BtoC industries, whose brand right infringement cases we have dealt with in the Finnish market over the years with my colleague Jani Kaulo even before the establishment of Kaulo & Partners."
Kaulo & Partners became REACT's official partner in November 2021. Cooperation with REACT and global brand owners in the Finnish market will be further strengthened. Active assignments are currently underway among others in the consumer electronics, automotive and sporting events industries.
Kaulo & Partners represents the world's leading brand owners in anti-counterfeiting
REACT's members currently include more than 315 brand owners representing various industries.
Kaulo & Partners assists the world's most significant brand owners in legal proceedings related to counterfeit products in Finland. Our anti-counterfeiting measures and services, in addition to customs surveillance, also cover research and market monitoring related to various shops, stores, events and Finnish online auction sites and online stores, and test purchases to identify counterfeits and infringements. In cases of brand right infringement, we send cease and desist letters to infringers to get counterfeit products off the market. When necessary, we defend our clients’ brand rights in the Finnish courts.