UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE) has published highlights from its recent International Law Enforcement Intellectual Property (IP) Crime Conference, which included an expert session on deploying standards and certification schemes for free trade zones.

The September conference, held with ULSE’s partners INTERPOL and the Government of Curaçao and its partner the Curinde Free Trade Zone, showcased sessions focused on coordinating responses, aligning resources, and leveraging opportunities to overcome IP crime challenges, particularly those involving transnational organized IP crime and interrelated illicit trade activities.

In a standards-focused segment, ULSE’s Lesley Rohrbaugh, head of insights and policy analysis, led a panel session that homed in on how criminal networks exploit the international transit of goods in free trade zones, often using these areas for assembly, processing, warehousing, repackaging, and re-labeling. Panelists discussed how the development and implementation of standards and certification schemes within these zones can counteract this activity and enable the free flow of legitimate trade by promoting good governance, increased transparency, and anti-corruption practices.

Access the full article on the conference via ULSE’s website.