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Global Cyber & IP

Cyber & IP Europe

Background

The U.S. Transnational and High-Tech Crime Global Law Enforcement Network (GLEN) program is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (DOS/INL) and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (DOJ/CCIPS) and Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (DOJ/OPDAT).

The GLEN is a worldwide law enforcement capacity building network of International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) attorney advisors, computer forensic analysts (Global Cyber Forensics Advisors or GCFAs), and federal law enforcement agents who deliver technical assistance to foreign partners to combat intellectual property and cybercrime activity, as well as to assist in the collection and use of electronic evidence to combat all types of crime, including transnational organized crime (TOC).

Currently, ICHIPs are posted to regional positions in Africa (Abuja, Nigeria and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), Asia (Hong Kong S.A.R.; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and support from DOJ/OIA Attaché in Bangkok, Thailand (IPR focused)), Europe (Bucharest, Romania; Zagreb, Croatia; and The Hague, Netherlands), and Western Hemisphere (São Paulo, Brazil and Panama City, Panama). Two subject-matter expert ICHIPs -- the ICHIP for Internet Fraud and Public Health (IFPH) and the ICHIP for Dark Web and Cryptocurrency (DWC) -- as well as DOJ computer forensic analysts and law enforcement officials with intellectual property and cybercrime expertise also form part of the GLEN.

The objective of the GLEN is to promote the rule of law and to protect Americans from criminal threats emanating from abroad by delivering targeted training to encourage both immediate improvements as well as long-term institutional change. This assistance includes training workshops, legislative review, case-based mentoring, skills development, and promoting institutional reform such as the formation of specialized units to address these criminal threats.

Finally, the ICHIPs encourage countries to join the Council of Europe’s Convention against Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) as well as the G7 24-7 High Tech Crimes Digital Evidence Sharing Network (HTCN), an informal network that provides high-tech expert contacts to assist in preserving and sharing digital evidence.

IPR-Focused ICHIP

ICHIP Bucharest supports the capacity building needs in partner nations throughout Europe (Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, including Central Asia) by assessing the capacity of law enforcement authorities throughout the region to enforce IPR; designing and implementing case-based mentoring and skills development training designed to enhance the capacity of justice sector personnel to enforce IPR; assisting in developing or strengthening institutions dedicated to IPR enforcement; monitoring regional trends in IPR protection; and furnishing expert assistance in support of U.S. intellectual property (IP) policies and initiatives in the region.  The ICHIP also assists foreign partners with IPR-related legislative drafting and preparing country submissions for the U.S. Trade Representative’s annual Special 301 Report. Finally, the ICHIP acts as a liaison between U.S. law enforcement partners in the region and rights-holders, whose support is critical for IPR investigations and prosecutions.

Cyber-Focused ICHIPs

ICHIP The Hague and ICHIP Zagreb help to improve the capacity of foreign legal and law enforcement partners in Europe (Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, including  Central Asia) to combat transnational cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime by addressing partner countries assistance needs through assessing the capacity of law enforcement, prosecutorial and judicial authorities to detect, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate cybercrime; designing and conducting case-based mentoring and skills training designed to enhance the capacity of justice sector personnel; assisting in developing or strengthening institutions dedicated to  cybercrime enforcement; and monitoring regional trends and providing expert assistance in support of U.S. cybercrime policies and initiatives in the region. They also review and comment on draft legislation that seeks to address cybercrime and related digital evidence issues. ICHIP The Hague also works with officials at Eurojust and Europol as well as other regional organizations, such as the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Together, the ICHIPs in Europe have designed, organized, and implemented high quality programs for thousands of judges, prosecutors, investigators, digital forensic analysts, and policy officials from countries in the region.

Cyber-Focused ICHIP Recent Activities  

  • December 2023: In Prague, Czechia, ICHIPs Zagreb, DWC, and The Hague hosted law enforcement officials and prosecutors from Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria for the fourth meeting of the Eastern European Cryptocurrency Working Group (EECCWG). Participants discussed the challenges and successes in their ongoing cases.  Multiple presentations focused on the money laundering and tax crimes associated with illicit cryptocurrency activity. Participants also observed a mock-trial demonstration of cryptocurrency-tracing testimony, conducted by the U.S. experts, complete with exhibits and cross-examination. The National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) and IRS-CI presented case studies related to U.S. prosecutions.
     
  • November 2023: In Belgrade, Serbia, ICHIPs The Hauge and Zagreb presented at a workshop for Serbian investigators, prosecutors, and judges on investigations involving electronic evidence, followed by meetings with members of the Serbian Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) and judiciary to assess future training needs.  The ICHIPs then traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina at the request of OPDAT’s Belgrade RLA to meet with the Bosnian PPO and judiciary to conduct a training needs assessment.
  • October 2023: In Bucharest, Romania, ICHIPs Zagreb and The Hague presented on the use of digital evidence at trial and leveraging international cooperation for participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia at CEPOL’s Digital Skills for Law Enforcement program. In addition, the ICHIP assisted in facilitating practical exercises.
  • September 2023: ICHIP The Hague presented at the European Intellectual Property Prosecutors Network Training on IP crime in The Hague, Netherlands. The presentation covered the ICHIP Network and U.S. criminal IP laws, along with a case study. Attendees included representatives from Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.

IPR-Focused ICHIP Recent Activities

  • December 2023: In Bucharest, Romania, ICHIP Bucharest provided technical assistance to Romanian officials in the development of a new National IP Strategy.  As a result of sustained efforts by ICHIP Bucharest over the last two years to encourage the development of a National IP Strategy, including reviewing drafts of the strategy and meeting with Romanian officials involved in IP, Romania adopted a National IP Strategy. This is a significant milestone for Romania, and ICHIP Bucharest will continue to work closely with the IP Coordinator and IP working group members to strengthen IPR enforcement in Romania.
  • November 2023: In Ankara, Turkey, ICHIP Bucharest delivered a criminal IP enforcement program for the Turkish judiciary which included presentations on U.S. criminal enforcement frameworks, sentencing, and practical aspects of investigations involving counterfeit products. The goal of this workshop was to discuss prosecutorial methods for effective criminal prosecutions of IP cases.
  • September 2023: ICHIP Bucharest conducted a program on counterfeit pharmaceuticals products for an audience of 32 law enforcement and prosecutors from Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine. The program focused on investigative and prosecutorial methods for disrupting counterfeit pharmaceutical markets and supply chains. Presentations and discussions centered on emerging threats, practical aspects of investigations involving counterfeit pharmaceuticals, dark web marketplaces investigations, obtaining and preserving digital evidence, private sector presentations, and case studies.
  • July 2023: ICHIP Bucharest delivered a workshop on counterfeit alcohol products in Warsaw, Poland.  Participants included law enforcement and prosecutors from Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.  Private-sector representatives from a variety of international alcohol brands provided detailed briefings as to the sources and supply chains for counterfeit alcohol, and public-sector presenters discussed methods and tools for combatting this crime.   
Updated February 7, 2024