NIPLECC Report: the National Intellectual Property Law
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NIPLECC REPORT THE NATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW ENFORCEMENT COORDINATION COUNCIL 2001-2002 SUBMITTED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS UN I T E D ST A T E S DE P A R T M E N T O F J U S T I C E UN I T E D ST A T E S PA T E N T A N D TR A D EM A R K OFFIC E UN I T E D ST A T E S DE P A R T M E N T O F ST A T E OFFIC E O F T H E UN I T E D ST A T E S TR A D E REP RES E N T A T I V E UN I T E D ST A T E S CU S T O M S SE R V I C E UN I T E D ST A T E S DE P A R T M E N T O F COM M ERC E UN I T E D ST A T E S CO P YRIG H T OFFIC E NATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW ENFORCEMENT COORDINATING COUNCIL Second Report to Congress Table of Contents Introduction......................................................................................................................1 Executive Summary.........................................................................................................2 Individual Agency Reports...............................................................................................3 A. U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division .........................................................3 B. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.........................................................................14 C. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs...........................................................................23 D. Office of the United States Trade Representative .................................................25 E. U.S. Customs Service ...........................................................................................27 F. U.S. Department of Commerce–Intellectual Trade Administration ........................32 G. U.S. Copyright Office.............................................................................................36 Federal Register Notice–Industry Responses ......................................................... Tab A International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition................................................................. Tab B International Trademark Association ....................................................................... Tab C (with appended INTA Year 2000 Submission) International Intellectual Property Alliance............................................................... Tab D Interagency Database of IP Training ....................................................................... Tab E Introduction Pursuant to 15 USC 1128(e), The National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council shall report annually on its coordination activities to the President, and to the Committees on Appropriations and on the Judiciary of the Senate and House of Representatives. This report is the second annual report issued by the Council, reporting on its coordinating activities. Included in this report is a compendium of agency activities relating to domestic and international intellectual property rights enforcement efforts and the mission of the National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council. Submitted October 2002 2 Executive Summary The National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council was created under the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act 2000, which defined its membership, set forth duties of the Council and provided for the submission of an annual report. Pursuant to 15 USC 1128(b), the mandate of the Council is to “coordinate domestic and international intellectual property law enforcement among federal and foreign entities”. The Council consists of the following members: Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office; Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division; Under Secretary of State for Economic and Agricultural Affairs; Ambassador, Deputy United States Trade Representative; Commissioner of Customs; and the Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade. The United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Department of Justice serve as co-chairs. Pursuant to 15 USC 1128(c), the Council “shall consult with the Register of Copyrights on law enforcement matters relating to copyright and related rights matters”. Subsequent to the issuance of the first annual report, the Council met in December 2001 and in June 2002. The Council’s mission includes: law enforcement liaison, training coordination, industry and other outreach and increasing public awareness. In addition to providing a forum in which agencies coordinate activities involving intellectual property law enforcement, the Council has determined that efforts should focus on a campaign of public awareness, at home and internationally, addressing the importance of protecting intellectual property rights. On August 5, 2002, a request for comments was published in the Federal Register seeking public comment as to how the Council may be effective in coordinating a public awareness campaign. In the months ahead, the Council will seek to serve as a coordinator of agency member public awareness efforts. This report exhibits the commitment of the Council member agencies to domestic and international intellectual property rights enforcement. 3 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE The Department of Justice is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases involving the piracy of copyrighted works, trademark counterfeiting and theft of trade secrets.a The primary responsibility for federal enforcement of intellectual property laws rests with the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices with the support and coordination of the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs Service and other federal law enforcement agencies. The Department of Justice has made the enforcement of the intellectual property laws a high priority, and has committed substantial new resources to training specialized prosecutors and developing aggressive prosecution strategies to deal with the growing threat of piracy and high-tech crime. 1. Ensuring Adequate Prosecutorial Resources and Training The Department of Justice is utilizing a multi-pronged approach to prosecuting intellectual property crimes, combining the resources and experience of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section in Washington, DC, the Computer and Telecommunication Coordinator network of specialized prosecutors in the U.S. Attorneys Offices, and the newly formed Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property units in districts where high-tech and intellectual crimes are a particular area of concern. During the past 18 months the Attorney General has taken steps to significantly strengthen the ability of United States Attorneys Offices to enforce the federal IP laws by creating highly-specialized Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (“CHIP”) Units in 12 U.S. Attorneys Offices across the nation; 1. Alexandria (Eastern District of Virginia) 2. Atlanta (Northern District of Georgia) 3. Boston (District of Massachusetts) 4. Brooklyn (Eastern District of New York) 5. Chicago (Northern District of Illinois) 6. Dallas (Northern District of Texas) 7. Kansas City (Western District of Missouri) 8. Los Angeles (Central District of California) aFederal Laws protecting intellectual property include: Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 2318 (trafficking in counterfeit labels); 2319 (criminal copyright infringement); 2319A (unauthorized recording of live musical performances); and 2320 (trafficking in counterfeit goods or services);Title 17 U.S.C. §§1201, 1204 (circumvention of copyright protection measures ); Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 1831 (economic espionage); 1832 (theft of trade secrets). 4 9. Manhattan (Southern District of New York) 10. Miami (Southern District of Florida) 11. San Diego (Southern District of California) 12. Seattle (Western District of Washington) These units, as well as the previously existing unit in San Francisco, California (in the Northern District of California), are composed of highly trained prosecutors and staff dedicated solely to prosecuting high-tech crimes, including intellectual property offenses. Each CHIP Unit is comprised of between four and six prosecutors and dedicated support staff. The continuing development of the CHIP Units will ensure that the Department of Justice will maintain a ready supply of the most highly trained and dedicated high-tech and intellectual property prosecutors. In addition to the newly formed CHIP Units, the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section works closely with the over 160 Assistant U.S. Attorneys who make up the existing Computer and Telecommunication Coordinator (“CTC”) network. These prosecutors are specifically trained to address the range of novel and complex legal issues related to high-tech and intellectual property crime. Each of the 94 U.S. Attorneys Offices has at least one prosecutor who is part of the CTC network. As part of the week-long CTC conference sponsored each year by CCIPS and the Executive Office of the United States Attorneys, the CTC prosecutors receive training specific to IPR enforcement and developing issues in the field. In addition to becoming specialist in prosecuting high-tech and intellectual property crimes, CTC’s serve a vital role as a resource to other Assistant United States Attorneys in their respective offices. Since its inception in 1994, the CTC program has built a unparalleled network of high-tech prosecutors across