JETRO, CIPAM together launch short-video contest to raise awareness on health and safety risks of counterfeit & pirated products

NEW DELHI: As part of its initiative to raise awareness about the health and safety risks associated with counterfeit and pirated products, as well as to promote a better understanding of the advantages of genuine products, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in collaboration with Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) has announced a short-video contest.

Supported by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the contest is open to Indian citizens inviting them to submit short videos showcasing the impact of counterfeit and pirated products by December 31. The winner of the contest will be awarded with the prize money of Rs. 2 lacs while the first and second runners up would get Rs. 1 lac each.

Recently, JETRO together with Dr. Sandeep Marwah, founder-president of the Asian Academy of Film & Television, and Noida Film City, released the poster highlighting the objective, rules etc related to the short video contest. Marwah is also the chairman of the advisory committee of Miss Earth India, and has produced a number of short films.

JETRO, or the Japan External Trade Organization, is a government-related organization that works to promote mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. Originally established in 1958 to promote Japanese exports abroad, JETRO’s core focus in the 21st century has shifted toward promoting foreign direct investment into Japan and helping small to medium size Japanese firms maximize their global export potential.

According to JETRO, the counterfeit and illegal reproductions that infringe intellectual property rights (so-called ‘copy goods’) and the proliferation of services selling them can undermine fair trade and the sustainable development of the global economy, cause significant financial losses to rights holders and legitimate businesses, provide a source of income for organized crime and pose public dangers to the public.

Many types of counterfeits are very difficult to detect visually and can be made such that they “seem” to be functional and pass  early levels of testing.

“We live in a world filled with all kinds of interesting products, products with cool designs, films, animations, and games. Each of these products is a result of trial and error by their creators. The creators’ efforts are wasted when counterfeit or pirated versions of these products are sold. Consequently, the world will lose the spirit of creating something new and exciting, and we will be unable to encounter excellent products. This will be a terrible loss to society,” stated a JETRO statement.

It added, “To reduce the number of counterfeit and pirated products, we must all make ourselves more aware. To raise awareness of counterfeiting and piracy, we are looking for videos that can change people’s perception.”

Eligibility criteria for the contestants:

The contestants submitting their entries should know that their videos should highlight that counterfeit or pirated items that are inferior in quality pose a health or safety risk.

Additionally, these videos should highlight the respect the quality of legitimate products and their creators’ trial-and-error process, and be produced in only in the English language. It can be a live action or animation video in MP4 format of the duration of no more than 2 to 3 minutes.

The eligibility criteria requires the participants to be an Indian resident with no age limits, and he or she can be an amateur or a professional. Both individual and group participation is acceptable.

For more information, one can click at jetronewdelhi.website2.me