Summit Publishing Company's packaging business magazine, Packaging World and the producer of the Brand-Protection Packaging Forum (April 8, 2008, Chicago, IL, USA), has partnered with a virtual community dedicated to brand protection and intellectual property and addressing a wide spectrum of issues, such as technological advancements, legal developments, market leaders and more, called the BPCouncil.

    The agreement between the two companies offers additional exposure for both BPCouncil and the Brand-Protection Packaging Forum (http://www.packworld.com/bppf) and adds a virtual dimension to this first time event. Conference attendees will learn about the latest packaging technologies being explored and implemented by big name brand owners to ward off counterfeiting, diversion, and grey-market distribution. This peer-to-peer information exchange will continue in the virtual world on the BPCouncil (http://www.bpcouncil.com) platform, a meeting place for Brand Protection professionals to share ideas.

    The brand owners and packaging professionals attending the Brand-Protection Packaging Forum can look forward to hearing from industry leaders including: Purdue Pharmaceuticals L.P., Liz Claiborne Cosmetics Inc., Intel Corporation, Hewlet-Packard Company, ghd Ltd., Lexmark International, Catalent Pharma Solutions and Johnson & Johnson. These innovators will be discussing how they implement the latest packaging technologies available for brand protection. Also on the program, a panel of lawyers will explore legal issues related to brand protection.

    "We believe the use of packaging technology as a means of protecting brands and consumers is an area that will see exceptional growth. We look forward to working with the BPCouncil in order to extend the reach of the forum and allow our participants further collaboration on new developments once the conference is over" said Joe Angel, VP/Publisher of Packaging World (http://www.packworld.com) said.
                                
    "We are excited to be partnering with Packaging World for the inaugural Brand-Protection Packaging Forum and inviting conference participants to join the BPCouncil. Packaging professionals are an important part of the BPCommunity and we are thrilled that Packaging World is fostering a discussion about packaging among brand owners. This forum is another step forward in the fight against counterfeit products" said Jodi Joseph, Director of the BPCouncil.