WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AGMA, a non-profit organization solely focused on intellectual property protection for the high-tech industry, today announced that it has added a new member company to its roster. Tech Data has joined AGMA on its mission to hinder threats to IP and render these activities more difficult, undesirable and unprofitable. As the first distributor to be invited to join AGMA’s roster, which includes the tech sector’s most influential companies, Tech Data will provide key insights into improving compliance in the channel.
AGMA is chartered with addressing key threats to intellectual property in the high-tech industry. These threats are many and varied, and come in many different forms – including gray marketing, counterfeiting, service and warranty fraud, and digital IP abuse.
Distributors play a critical role in the technology ecosystem, helping to bring to market IT products and services. According to Jean-Paul Durand, Tech Data’s chief ethics and compliance officer, the company joined AGMA to help strengthen IP protection in the IT channel. “We are committed to ensuring that, as a distributor, we are aligned with our vendors in terms of the types of risks faced in the market and the efforts taken to combat these risks,” noted Durand. “As the first distributor to be a part of AGMA, we feel privileged to have the opportunity to participate alongside some of the most important vendors in the industry. A compliant channel is the best thing for our vendors and for our business – and we believe in being part of the solution.”
AGMA’s goal is to educate the industry and the public – by sharing and developing best practices in the fight against IP theft. AGMA employs a number of tactics, including event speaking, educational initiatives, benchmark studies, industry guidelines, and public policy advocacy. AGMA provides an open forum where intellectual property brand owners can discuss trends, issues and approaches to gray market fraud and counterfeiting in the technology sector.
“The opportunities that AGMA provides to help member companies identify and mitigate the risks they face while conducting business through the channel are second to none,” noted AGMA President Sally Nguyen. “We welcome Tech Data as our first distributor member company, and look forward to forging deeper connections and fostering continued collaboration on compliance issues – for the good of the entire channel.”
To learn more about AGMA, or to become a member, please visit www.agmaglobal.org.
About Tech Data
Tech Data connects the world with the power of technology. Our end-to-end portfolio of products, services and solutions, highly specialized skills, and expertise in next-generation technologies enable channel partners to bring to market the products and solutions the world needs to connect, grow and advance. Tech Data is ranked No. 88 on the Fortune 500® and has been named one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies for 10 straight years. To find out more, visit www.techdata.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
About AGMA
AGMA is a non-profit organization comprised of influential companies in the technology sector. Incorporated in 2001, AGMA’s mission is to address gray market fraud, parallel imports, counterfeiting, software piracy, and service abuse of technology products around the globe. The organization’s goals are to protect intellectual property and authorized distribution channels, improve customer satisfaction and preserve brand integrity.
AGMA welcomes technology manufacturers, as well as persons or entities that own or hold intellectual property rights to finished goods outside the technology industry; government and law enforcement officials; product and service providers who provide goods and/or services to combat gray market fraud, counterfeiting and warranty and service abuse threats. AGMA uses a variety of avenues to cultivate change in the marketplace, including event speaking, educational initiatives, benchmark studies, industry guidelines, and, where appropriate, public policy advocacy. To learn more about AGMA’s initiatives or to become a member, please visit www.agmaglobal.org or follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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