Brand Protection Council
Addressing Counterfeiting, Non-Compliant Products, Intellectual Property Rights

MEMA, in conjunction with its market segment associations, created the Brand Protection Council to help address and set the association's priorities in the areas of counterfeiting, diversion, non-compliant products and intellectual property rights. The group is open to any member of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA) or the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA).

The council meets four times a year and helps dictate MEMA and the industry's collective actions on various intellectual property issues. The council also shares best practices and dialogue on this growing industry challenge.

"This is not an individual company problem, it is an industry problem," said Steve Handschuh, executive director of AASA and vice president of MEMA. "Because we're all in this together, we can collectively learn from each other and decide the best actions to take to combat counterfeiting and protect their intellectual property."

The group helps prioritize MEMA's actions on brand protection including what actions to take with lawmakers and how to address the problem in foreign markets, most notably China.

Purpose
Provide a forum for manufacturers to discuss counterfeiting, intellectual property rights, gray market or diversion, share best practices, recommend solutions, formulate future seminars and promote networking.

Membership
Membership in the Council is available on an invitation basis to the senior executives of regular and divisional members of MEMA. The Council will be limited to a manageable size to promote affective dialogue among members as well as any invited speakers.

Governance
The MEMA Brand Protection Council will be organized around a Board of Governors will set the direction for the Councils activities and counsel MEMA staff on programs, agenda and special issues. A Chairman will be elected from the Board of Governors on a yearly base and confirmed by the full Council. The Council will be accountable to the MEMA Board of Directors.

Meetings
The Council will meet quarterly at mutually agreed upon times and locations selected by the members. A roundtable format is followed, and meetings normally will begin with lunch at 12:00noon. An issues format is the primary approach used where previously identified issues are presented and discussed and the exchange of opinions, ideas and issues result in resolutions of the issue or a plan for further investigation and analysis is agreed upon. The issues could result in "white papers" for the benefit of the industry as a whole. Such white papers must be presented to and approved by the MEMA Board prior to their publication as an industry position statement. Work produced by the Council will be made available to all MEMA members. These products will also be made available to the public on a reasonable fee basis.

Council substitutes for regular members are highly discouraged to encourage networking, trust and open discussions among members. Speakers will be invited periodically to cover specific issues and help with solutions.

The following issues have been identified as potential topics;

• Counterfeiting	• Patents
• Solution Providers	• Trade Secrets
• Gray Market/Diversion	• Domestic Issues
• Intellectual Property Rights	• International Issues
• Legal Assistance	• Government Enforcement
• Trade Marks	• Legal Actions

Members

• AASA
• ABRO Industries, Inc.
• Affinia
• Akebono Corporation
• Arent Fox
• ArvinMeritor Commercial Vehicles Aftermarket
• Bendix
• Chicago Rawhide
• Cloyes Gear and Products
• Cummins, Inc.
• DaimlerChrysler (MOPAR Parts)
• Dayco Products
• Delphi Product Service Solutions
• DENSO Sales California, Inc.
• EaglePitcher/Wolverine Div.
• Federal-Mogul Corporation
• Flex-a-lite Consolidated
• Ford Motor Company
• Four Seasons
• Freudenberg-NOK
• Gates Corporation
• General Motors SPO
• Grote
• Haldex
• HDMA
• Hella, Incorporated
• Horton, Inc.
• Melling Tool Company
• MEMA
• Northern Engraging
• OESA
• Parker Hannifin
• Permatex
• Proliance
• Remy International
• Shell Lubricants
• TI Group Automotive Systems, LLC
• Tenneco Automotive
• TRW Automotive
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• Valeo, Inc.
• Vector Mfg., Ltd.
• Visteon Corporation
• Webb Wheel Products, Inc.
• ZF North America Operations