A-CAPP BP Summit Musings

Attending my second 美国密歇根州立大学 A-CAPP Center Brand Protection Summit last week (3/12/24-3/14/24), I wanted to take the opportunity to share my thoughts & takeaways. For those unaware, the A-CAPP Center's Brand Protection Strategy Summit is a 3-day event hosted for the benefit of its brand owning partners, providing a venue to learn from each other, academia, law enforcement & the brand protection community. Although the first summit was held in 2015, this is only the second year that non-brand owners have been eligible to attend.

Day 1 is strictly limited to brand owners, law enforcement and academics to create what I can only suspect is a unique environment to share candid conversations & content, without the ears of well-meaning service providers or platforms in the room. Others from the brand protection community, i.e. vendors, service providers, lawyers, and/or consultants, are invited to attend on the subsequent days. Certainly, these other segments add value & a well-rounded perspective since it takes collaboration across all these types of partners to build a successful & sustainable brand protection program. As we each contribute to the brand protection ecosystem in our own way, finding the right resources & best fit for your needs is not only important, but makes for a vibrant & engaging endeavor. With ample opportunities for networking among attendees, the academic roots of this event keep it focused on learning & knowledge sharing, which is refreshing when there are so many sales-leaning events within any industry (even speaking as a service provider here).

?

While originally a bit disappointed at being excluded from part of the event, I respect & admire A-CAPP's focus on fostering a different kind of environment for brand owners. Serving on a panel does not score an exception to the Day 1 rule, nor does being a sponsor. Not even retired law enforcement with a litany of impressive & distinguished credentials get a pass. I appreciate A-CAPP’s dedication to their policy in striving to create this sacred space for sharing.

Here are my top takeaways & points to ponder from the esteemed speakers & panelists. Many brilliant minds were in the audience, on stage & present in the deep dive sessions. No names or attributions are included as per A-CAPP’s adherence to the Chatham House Rule.

• The concept that Intellectual Property Rights violations are a human issue, not a law issue. This deep dive went into the neuropsychology of fraudsters along with the factors that contribute to the manipulative & deceptive tendencies, like impulsivity, empathy deficits & executive dysfunction. Addressing the human conditions that result in the illicit behavior could be critical to reducing recidivism, & developing prevention & intervention strategies. While realizing that counterfeiting is motivated by money, I had not thought of counterfeiters as addicts who are after that high & need to essentially be rehabilitated to truly break the cycle. It is an interesting mindset shift to consider fostering neurocognitive awareness & ethical reasoning to combat fraudulent behavior. ?? I wonder how this concept might be integrated into considerations for compliance in a C&D, charge or judgement.
• Related to online pharmacies & counterfeit drugs, there was discussion of the externalities impacting the industry with the ease of access, consumers being turned down by doctors for certain medications, the associated costs of Rx & the consumerized practice of medicine. One challenge raised in combating counterfeits was the fact that regulating online pharmacies was only possible at the state level since no federal regulation exists. From social listening, it seems that consumers are less focused on the dangers of counterfeit drugs, but more concerned about getting scammed. It seems like there may be an opportunity for pharma to amp up messaging around the true harm of counterfeit drugs & these illicit online pharmacies beyond a credit card being compromised. Hmmm…. ???
• AI was a hot topic, referenced on multiple occasions as well as covered in a keynote & a panel focused on finding the right balance of AI with the human touch. If we intend to use AI in a responsible way, there was to be a human in the loop. We have long talked of the savvy counterfeiters & their rapid adaptation to the latest trends. No doubt this includes incorporating AI, especially when you consider their neuropsychology & lack of ethical or moral boundaries that holds the law abiders back. As bad actors accelerate efforts through such technologies, the risk of not using AI is a risk in itself. Someone mentioned that counterfeit packaging does not contain as many errors and misspellings as it once did. While we have certainly noticed that trend & nonchalantly chalked it up to bad guys getting wiser, I didn’t consider how AI could be playing a role in this evolution. Like anything – AI can be used for good or evil, and how it may be used for evil will inevitably get the publicity first. It is an infinitely double-edged sword with boundless opportunities & threats.?

It is certainly an event that I look forward to, even if East Lansing is a bit challenging to reach. We had beautiful weather to explore the college town, walking to the A-CAPP receptions & dinner -- even if my allergies kicked into hyperdrive & left me sounding not like myself. The learnings, connections & comradery were well worth the trip.

???