Justice Department Leads Ninth Regional Intellectual Property (IP) Law Enforcement

The following post appears courtesy of the Criminal Division. Representatives from the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section led the Ninth Regional IP Law Enforcement and Industry seminar yesterday in Los Angeles. The one-day instructional seminar provided businesses, private investigators and corporate counsel an opportunity to discuss aspects of intellectual property crime with top federal and state prosecutors, as well as law enforcement in their region.  The seminar also helped to educate industry representatives generally on how federal investigations are conducted, best practices for case referrals and a range of other enforcement topics.  Department representatives will also discuss the recent formation of the Intellectual Property Task Force and its interaction with industry in a joint effort to combat intellectual property crimes. The seminar, which was co-sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, the Business Software Alliance, the International Trademark Association, the Motion Picture Association and American Bar Association's White Collar Crime Committee, included more than 200 business leaders, investigators, IP rights holders, IP attorneys and law enforcement agencies.  Speakers included the most senior-level prosecutorial and law enforcement officials in the region, including the U.S. Attorneys from the Central and Southern Districts of California, as well as the heads of the Los Angeles FBI and ICE field offices, federal judges, federal and state prosecutors, and federal and local law enforcement. To date, seminars have been held twice in Los Angeles and New York City, as well as in Miami; San Jose, Calif.; Columbus, Ohio; Houston and Seattle.  The seminars were created as a way to enhance law enforcement efforts around the country by bringing together law enforcement and industry on a regional basis.