Remarks
of FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Jana Monroe
for Anti-Piracy Warning Press Conference 2/19/04
Los Angeles, CA
GOOD MORNING. I'M JANA MONROE, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
OF THE FBI'S CYBER DIVISION. ON BEHALF OF FBI DIRECTOR
ROBERT MUELLER, I AM PLEASED TO BE JOINED TODAY
BY OUR PARTNERS IN PRIVATE INDUSTRY TO ANNOUNCE
AN INITIATIVE AIMED AT COMBATTING THE CONTINUING
PROBLEM INVOLVING THE THEFT OF COPYRIGHT-PROTECTED
MATERIAL.
THE FBI
IS RESPONSIBLE FOR INVESTIGATING THE THEFT OF INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY. NOWHERE IS PIRACY AND THEFT OF INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY MORE PREVALENT THAN IN CYBERSPACE. COPYRIGHT
PROTECTED MATERIAL SUCH AS DIGITAL MUSIC, DIGITAL
MOVIES, COMPUTER SOFTWARE, AND GAMES ARE ROUTINELY
STOLEN AND DISTRIBUTED ILLEGALLY BY ORGANIZED GROUPS.
TO COMMIT
THESE CRIMES, THESE GROUPS DISTRIBUTE STOLEN INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY THROUGH THE USE OF WEB SITES, CHAT ROOMS,
MASS E-MAIL, FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL, AND PEER-TO-PEER
NETWORKS.
THE THEFT
OF COPYRIGHT-PROTECTED MATERIALS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTS
THE U.S ECONOMY. AS AN EXAMPLE, LAST YEAR, THE 4
INDUSTRIES REPRESENTED HERE TODAY, REPORTED APPROXIMATELY
3 BILLION DOLLARS IN LOSSES DUE TO THE THEFT OF
THEIR COPYRIGHT-PROTECTED WORKS. THESE LOSSES TRANSLATE
INTO A LOSS OF JOBS THROUGHOUT THE INDUSTRY BY THE
PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEIR LIVING LEGALLY PRODUCING THESE
MATERIALS.
TO COMBAT
THIS CRIME PROBLEM, THE FBI WILL CONTINUE TO WORK
WITH OUR LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
PARTNERS, AS WELL AS PRIVATE SECTOR ALLIANCES TO
TARGET AND DISMANTLE THESE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS.
ADDITIONALLY,
AS PART OF TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT, THE FBI IS ALSO
UNVEILING A NEW ANTI-PIRACY SEAL, WHICH WILL BE
DISPLAYED PROMINENTLY ON DIGITAL AND SOFTWARE INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTIES. THIS ANTI-PIRACY SEAL SHOULD SERVE AS
A WARNING TO THOSE WHO CONTEMPLATE THE THEFT OF
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, THAT THE FBI WILL ACTIVELY
INVESTIGATE CYBER CRIMES, AND WILL BRING THE PERPETRATORS
OF THESE CRIMINAL ACTS TO JUSTICE.
I WOULD
NOW LIKE TO INTRODUCE BRAD BUCKLES, EXECUTIVE VICE
PRESIDENT OF ANTI-PIRACY FOR THE RECORDING INDUSTRY
ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA.
