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JUSTICE DEPARTMENT RELEASES MANUAL

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In an effort to assist law enforcement agencies across the country in combatting trademark counterfeiting, copyright piracy, and theft of trade secrets, the Department of Justice today released a manual devoted exclusively to prosecuting intellectual property crime.

The resource, entitled "Prosecuting Intellectual Property Crime," was created by the Criminal Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and published by the Office of Legal Education. It contains a variety of materials including: a quick reference chart for typical IP cases; a list of commonly charged IP crimes; explanations of the criminal laws of trademark counterfeiting, copyright piracy, and trade secrets; information about recently enacted criminal IP laws such as the No Electronic Theft (NET) Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA); practical advice on charging IP crimes; and contact information for relevant IP organizations and information.

"This manual will be an essential resource to federal and state law enforcement in the fight against IP crime, particularly in high-technology and cutting edge cases," said Deputy Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. "At the same time that our information economy is soaring, so is intellectual property theft. With this new manual and the other efforts we have made, we are better equipped to prosecute those who steal our intellectual property."

The new manual is part of the Intellectual Property Initiative, which was launched in San Jose, California., in July 1999 by the Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Customs Service. The initiative is aimed at combating the growing wave of piracy and counterfeiting offenses, both domestically and internationally, with the participation of U.S. Attorney's offices in New York, New Jersey, California, Florida and Massachusetts. The initiative has focused on training activities, improved coordination among law enforcement agencies, increased cooperation with industry, and highlighting IP internationally. In addition, following the first-ever meeting of law enforcement experts from G-8 countries to discuss trends in trafficking in counterfeiting and pirated merchandise, hosted by the United States in September, 2000, G-8 countries agreed to address trends in trans border IP crime.

"The Department of Justice is dedicated to fighting intellectual property crime," said Martha Stansell-Gamm, Chief of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. "The insights and practical guidance in this new manual will help us tackle the complex issues in IP cases that we are seeing every day."