Rosalía and industrial property

BarcelonaRosalía has strained This Friday at the 3rd European Forum on Industrial Property, held in Barcelona, the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Daren Tang, honored the author of Divinize, The pearl either Berghain in the category of icon of the Catalan capital along with Gaudí, the start-ups or Modernism, represented by La Pedrera (Casa Milà) on Passeig de Gràcia, where this annual meeting of the Association for the Defense of the Brand (Andema) has taken place. These, he said, are examples of the "creativity and innovation" that characterize Barcelona.

And the fact that the new album Lux, The fact that the globally renowned singer-songwriter's song garnered over 43 million streams in just 24 hours on its release day has served to underscore the importance of protecting intellectual and industrial property. It is the only way to preserve innovation, as well as economic activity and many jobs. All of this must be taken into account, he added, in a world dominated by technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Europe, he added, with 9 percent of the world's population, holds 10 percent of patents and 20 percent of registered trademarks.

The top representative of WIPO applauded the Spanish government's commitment to combating piracy and counterfeiting, and the collaboration between different police forces in fighting them. Representatives from Europol, the National Police, the Civil Guard, the Barcelona City Police, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police), and the Ertzaintza (Basque Police) explained this. They even detailed cases, such as a recent one called Operation Kelme. The operation resulted in the seizure of 140,000 counterfeit items worth €26 million, including what appeared to be a second kit for FC Barcelona—a fluorescent pink shirt that, in reality, does not exist. Civil Guard representative Raquel Herrero warned: "In the world of counterfeiting, they're even allowing themselves to innovate."

This warning was reiterated by most participants, including the new president of Andema, Eduardo Petrossi, CEO of Mahou San Miguel, and also the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu, who closed the forum by defending the formal economy where rules are followed. "Institutional frameworks are fundamental for economic and social development," he added. "Only through the protection of intellectual property can we have innovative companies that secure the financing, growth, and collaboration they need, fostering the generation of added value in our economy," he concluded.

Millions of counterfeit products are seized annually in the EU, causing enormous losses. In Spain alone, law enforcement agencies seized more than six million counterfeit items last year, with an estimated market value of 251.5 million euros, according to the Ministry of the Interior. Therefore, the Ministry of Industry, together with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM), is launching a campaign, coinciding with Black Friday, one of the peak consumption periods, under the slogan "Good, beautiful and... authentic", to raise awareness of the importance of branding and products with a trusted origin, bearing in mind that price is often a draw for many buyers.