Answer given by Ms Bieńkowska on behalf of the Commission
16.10.2015
As announced in the action plan on enforcement of IPR[1], the Commission initiated in summer 2015 the consultation process related to the action on due diligence in supply chains. On 5 June 2015, it organised the workshop ‘Due diligence in supply chains: How can responsible supply chain management improve respect for intellectual property?’[2]. A wide range of cross-sector experts representing academia, right holders, track and trace companies, NGOs, and consumer associations participated in this event. The participants were also invited to comment on a draft questionnaire prepared by the Commission in view of the launch of an online public consultation in the autumn 2015.
By the end of the year the Commission will launch a public consultation in order to evaluate the directive on the enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRED) following the announcement in the communication on a Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe[3] of a modernisation of the enforcement of intellectual property rights.