The Anti-Counterfeit Authority has called on the media to play a more deliberate role in the fight against counterfeiting, noting that fake goods, piracy, and intellectual property violations thrive where deception is allowed to take root.

Speaking during the Annual Pan-African Media Summit held at Safari Park Hotel & Casino in Nairobi, ACA Executive Director Dr. Robi M. King’a, PhD, said counterfeiting should not only be viewed as a market or enforcement issue, but also as an information problem that directly affects public trust.

“A fake product enters the market through a false claim. It survives through deception. It grows when trust is abused. That is why the media sits at the centre of trust,” Dr. King’a said.

The summit, held under the theme of information integrity, digital platforms and media in Africa, brought together journalists, broadcasters, media leaders, government representatives, civil society actors and development partners to discuss the evolving role of media in safeguarding credible information in the digital age.

Dr. King’a noted that intellectual property is central to the media industry because it protects the very assets that journalists, broadcasters and content creators depend on. These include stories, images, footage, music, logos, broadcasts, documentaries and digital platforms.

He warned that media institutions are also vulnerable to intellectual property abuse through content theft, signal piracy, illegal rebroadcasting, fake social media accounts, cloned websites and unauthorized use of creative works.

“If your content is stolen, altered, rebroadcast without consent or falsely attributed, the integrity of the information suffers. If your brand is copied, the trust the public has built with you is put at risk,” he said.

Drawing from ACA’s enforcement work, Dr. King’a said counterfeit goods continue to pose serious risks to public health, safety, education, agriculture and economic growth. He cited recent seizures involving counterfeit alcohol, soaps, fertilizer, educational materials and other consumer products as evidence of the growing threat.

He observed that behind every counterfeit product is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public through false branding, stolen identity, manipulated packaging and abused consumer trust.

“What looks like an ordinary drink can become poison in a bottle. A fake pesticide can ruin a harvest. Fake fertilizer can destroy a season and a family’s livelihood. Counterfeit educational tools undermine learning, while a counterfeit brake pad can become a safety hazard on the road,” he said.

Dr. King’a urged journalists to treat counterfeiting and piracy as public-interest issues that deserve the same seriousness given to governance, health, business and economic reporting. He said media coverage should help citizens understand that counterfeit goods and stolen content are connected by one common thread: deception for profit.

He further encouraged media houses to protect their own creative and commercial assets by auditing the use of music, footage, graphics, images, broadcasts and digital content, while strengthening mechanisms to safeguard their brands from misuse.

The Executive Director reaffirmed ACA’s commitment to working closely with the media through awareness creation, technical support, enforcement updates and stakeholder engagement. He said structured collaboration between regulators and journalists can help strengthen public understanding of counterfeit trends, product authentication, intellectual property protection and responsible reporting.

“This partnership can go further. It can help the media sector better understand counterfeit trends, product authentication, responsible reporting, and the relationship between intellectual property protection and public trust,” Dr. King’a said.

He emphasized that protecting intellectual property is not only about safeguarding businesses, but also about defending creativity, journalism, innovation and the credibility of public information.

“If intellectual property is ignored, creativity weakens. If creativity weakens, journalism weakens. If journalism weakens, public trust weakens. Once trust is weakened, counterfeits, piracy and falsehoods proliferate,” he said.

Dr. King’a concluded by calling for a united commitment to authenticity across markets, media platforms and creative spaces.

“Let us defend authenticity in every form: in the goods on our shelves, in the stories on our screens, in the music on our airwaves, in the signals we broadcast and in the brands the public has learned to trust. That is how we protect markets. That is how we protect creativity. That is how we protect journalism,” he said.

The Authority’s message to the media was clear: the fight against counterfeiting cannot be won through enforcement alone. It requires credible information, responsible reporting and a media sector that understands its power in shaping public trust.