The 2017 International Law Enforcement Intellectual Property Crime Conference will be held August 28 and 29 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. This will be the 11th annual event and it is being co-hosted by INTERPOL, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) in partnership with Underwriters Laboratories and the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition.
This conference has been recognized as the law enforcement “gold standard” for promoting global action against counterfeiting and piracy crimes. The event brings together an audience comprised of police, customs, prosecutors, other government agencies as well as rights holders representing a wide variety of industries.
The conference provides a vital platform to share best practices, develop new tools and create stronger networks to advance the common purpose of combatting transnational organized IP crime, promoting safety worldwide and developing joint initiatives focused on enforcement, education and partnerships.
A Conversation With IPR Center Deputy Director Ross
As the 2017 IP Crime Conference prepares to kick off in New York City, IPR Center Deputy Director William Ross sat down to discuss the role of the agency in combatting intellectual crimes, the different types of intellectual properties and the challenges the IP Unit faces.
Part I: The role of the IPR Center
Part II: The impact of the Internet on intellectual property crimes
Part III: How the IPR Unit enforces laws and works with its international partners
Part IV: The challenges of combatting intellectual property crimes
Counterfeit Goods
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) stands at the forefront of the United States Government’s response to global intellectual property (IP) theft and enforcement of its international trade laws. The mission of the IPR Center is to ensure national security by protecting the public’s health and safety, the U.S. economy, and our war fighters, and to stop predatory and unfair trade practices that threaten the global economy.
The IPR Center structure consists of two units: Intellectual Property and Commercial Fraud. One of the primary roles of the Intellectual Property Unit is to oversee enforcement operations in response to emerging threats, such as health and safety risks posed by counterfeit products. The IPR Center supports ICE agents conducting investigations to identify, disrupt and dismantle entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of illicit counterfeit products.
As one of the U.S. government’s key weapons in the fight against criminal counterfeiting and piracy, the IPR Center is not only committed to closely coordinating with its 23 member agencies, but also collaborating with industry and anti-counterfeiting associations to develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions and conduct investigations related to intellectual property theft.
The following photo gallery features examples of counterfeit goods. The pictures were taken at the IPR Center headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
