ICC BASCAP becomes a pirate to fight piracy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ICC BASCAP becomes a pirate to fight piracy

In an effort to fight counterfeiting and piracy, the International Chamber of Commerce BASCAP initiative recently introduced a new anti-counterfeiting product by gaining access to proprietary information and content from Gieschen Consultancy, took what they learned and incorporated it into their own, which was subsequently republished without authorization.

Calgary, Canada, April 30, 2007 --- The morning of April 18, 2007 began the same as the previous day for Glen Gieschen, Director of Gieschen Consultancy, a global counterfeit intelligence monitoring organization. After a coffee and a short walk to the office, hundreds of emails were reviewed containing counterfeit intelligence. Within a few hours, a number of alerts were brought to his attention indicating someone was downloading massive amounts of data and content from BASCAP.com, one of the websites Gieschen Consultancy operated and provided licensed content to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) based in Paris, France.

Fearing a hacker or cyber attack, an immediate investigation was conducted. It was determined the culprit originated from the IP address 82.108.223.98 whose owner was registered as the ICC's own Commercial Crime Services in London, England. Although curious about this activity, Mr. Gieschen was not immediately concerned. The following day, in accordance with the ICC contract, Gieschen Consultancys content and databases were removed from this website.

Shortly thereafter an email was received from the ICC introducing a new anti-counterfeiting product stating it was to replace the recently removed content. Upon further inspection, the information was presented in a remarkably similar manner to Gieschen Consultancys product. In fact, some of the information was identical to content provided under the previous license to the ICC. Although they had breached various agreements during the contract period and held back payments, it was difficult to believe the ICC would knowingly commit intellectual property theft.

The follow day a cease and desist letter was sent to determine if they intended to use the copyright content without authorization. The ICC responded by threatening a defamation lawsuit if Gieschen Consultancy informed its clients and stakeholders regarding their actions.

According to Glen Gieschen, Director of Gieschen Consultancy, "The ICC and BASCAP misrepresented themselves as a partner in 2006 and 2007, gained access to proprietary information and then took what they learned and incorporated it into their own product offerings.

Its functionality, user interface, presentation, method of classification, and delivery is clearly based on our designs and existing products. It is extraordinary that an organization committed to fighting counterfeiting and piracy would steal the intellectual property of another organization.

Prior to BASCAPs formation in 2004, Gieschen Consultancy invested considerable effort and resources into the development of a unique set of tools, databases and online content to help brand owners protect their intellectual property. The database alone contains a tremendous amount of intel with more than 10,500 incidents of raids and seizures related to fake and pirated goods valued in excess of US$7.64 Trillion. The irony in this situation is that we must now protect our own investment in our intellectual property, business information, and trade secrets.

Therefore, while we deeply regret the need to inform our clients and stakeholders, given the circumstances surrounding the activities of the ICC, we believe that we have no other choice."

About Gieschen Consultancy Gieschen Consultancy monitors counterfeit and piracy activity worldwide providing intelligence, analysis, and reporting to stakeholders who seek to develop improved strategies to protect products, improve enforcement and education.

For more information about Gieschen Consultancy, visit http://www.Goldsec.com.

ENDS

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