February 20, 2010
February 2010
On February 12, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the formation of a new Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property, which will be chaired by the Deputy Attorney General. The force's primary charge will be to fight intellectual property crimes by working closely with state and local law enforcement agencies and international counterparts. It will oversee general intellectual property enforcement efforts at the Department of Justice, with specific focus being placed on international intellectual property regulation. In addition, the task force will look to continue progress already made by the DOJ in the battle against intellectual property theft, and will further promote the development of policy aimed at addressing the changing technological and legal landscape within this field.
Broader initiatives include increasing policy engagement with foreign law enforcement partners, creating a strategy to develop civil IP enforcement efforts, and leveraging partnerships with federal agencies and independent regulatory authorities.
The Task Force will comprise representatives from the offices of the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General and the Associate Attorney General; the Criminal Division; the Civil Division; the Antitrust Division; the Office of Legal Policy; the Office of Justice Programs; the Attorney General's Advisory Committee; the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys; and the FBI.
Commenting on this announcement, President and Chairman of the Board of ASCAP, Paul Williams, said: "We at ASCAP commend the U.S. Justice Department for the formation of this new Task Force. The Department is right to acknowledge that the growth of intellectual property crime threatens the economic well-being of the nation. And in regards to ASCAP's 375,000 members, the theft of their creative work seriously impacts their ability to make a viable living from creating music. This in turn has terrible implications for our culture. The cross-department collaboration built into the new Task Force model will go a long way toward increasing the effectiveness of the U.S. government's response to intellectual property crimes."
click here to view the official press release from the DOJ
