Intellectual Property Right Violations in the Automotive Parts Industry Conference, October 1 in Dearborn, Mich.

  WHAT:    Intellectual Property Right Violations in the Automotive Parts
           Industry

  WHERE:   Dearborn Hyatt, Dearborn, Mich.

  WHEN:    Wednesday, October 1, 2003

WHO: Legal experts, government officials and supplier executives examine the challenges of dealing with intellectual property rights violations, non-compliant parts and counterfeiting in a information-packed, day-long conference.

  COST:    OESA members = $295 (includes lunch)
           Non-members = $450

Intellectual property rights violations and counterfeited automotive products remain a serious issue in the automotive industry. The Automobile Manufacturers Association claims that counterfeit parts alone are costing the global automotive industry $12 billion per year ($3 billion in the United States) and are responsible for the loss of 750,000 jobs.

The issue has tremendous effects on OE suppliers, including lost sales, lost jobs, safety risks, brand integrity/reputation and inferior quality and performance.

Automotive product manufacturers, along with the global automaker community, are also increasingly raising concerns about inadequate protection of their intellectual property rights (IPR) and the importation of regulated products that do not comply with federal standards.

OESA members have raised major concerns about business losses in the U.S. and overseas markets as a result of IPR violations and imports of non- compliant automotive products.

On Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2003, OESA will examine IPR violation issues with a high profile lineup of industry. Topics include:

  *  The impact to the automotive industry and suppliers
  *  What can and should government do to help
  *  What suppliers can do to protect their intellectual property
  *  What other industries have done to combat this issue

  CONTACT: Neal Zipser of MEMA, +1-919-345-5371, nzipser@mema.org .

PRNewswire -- Sept. 29