Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
December 8, 2008
Intellectual Property Training Programs FundedAs part of United States efforts to combat transnational crime and promote the rule of law and the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) worldwide, the State Department has approved nine new projects totaling $3 million in anticrime funds to enable U.S. law enforcement agencies and diplomatic missions to collaborate in the delivery of international enforcement training and technical assistance programs on intellectual property rights protection.
Training and technical assistance in the investigation and prosecution of intellectual property crime will be provided to foreign law enforcement partners in nations across the Pacific Rim, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa. The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs selected the projects after considering input from industry, other Federal agencies, our overseas missions, and Congress.
The nine projects are:
1) Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) $150,000
A series of regional training seminars for ASEAN prosecutors and judges.
2) Asian Intellectual Property Enforcement Network $150,000
The second in a series of regional conferences designed to improve real-time law enforcement cross-border cooperation in the Pacific Rim.
3) Eastern Europe IP Law Enforcement Coordinator $590,000
Extension of the Department of Justice regional coordinator based in Sofia, Bulgaria to continue ongoing work to improve IP enforcement coordination across the region.
4) India $250,000
Training assistance to build the IPR criminal enforcement capacity of India, with a focus on the New Delhi and Bangalore High Courts.
5) Indonesia Senior Advisors $640,000
Continuance of the program for two U.S. senior advisors to assist Indonesian Police in implementation of Optical Disc Regulations.
6) Mexico $370,000
IPR criminal enforcement training for Mexican judges and customs enforcement officers.
7) Sub-Saharan Africa $500,000
Anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals training workshops in West and East Africa and regional customs training workshops for enforcement officials of nations belonging to the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU).
8) Tri-Border of South America $200,000
Training for law enforcement in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile and Peru focused on regional approaches to confronting IPR piracy in the Tri-Border region.
9) Ukraine $150,000
Border enforcement and Internet piracy workshops for Ukrainian law enforcement.
For more information, please contact Susan Pittman at 202-647-2842.
2008/1021
Released on December 8, 2008
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