RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/C/W/12/Add.2/Suppl.1
11December 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-4028)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES: INFORMATION FROM
DEVELOPED COUNTRY MEMBERS
United States
Supplement
Thepresent document reproduces additional information thathasbeen received from the
delegation oftheUnited States ontheirtechnical andfinancial cooperation programme intheareaof
intellectual property relevant totheimplementation oftheTRIPS Agreement.
_______________
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ININTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROVIDED BY
THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OFJUSTICE
TheDepartment ofJustice recognizes theneedforstrong domestic enforcement ofintellectual
property laws, andthecorresponding needtoassist foreign countries withthefulfilment oftheirown
enforcement objectives. IntheUnited States, attorneys from theDepartment andtheUnited States
Attorney 'sOffices routinely provide investigative assistance inintellectual property cases toagencies
suchastheFederal Bureau ofInvestigation (FBI) andtheUnited States Customs Service, andultimately
prosecute theresulting cases infederal court. Criminal Division attorneys havealsobeeninfluential
inshaping recent legislative proposals designed toensure thecontinuing viability andenforceability
ofintellectualpropertyrightsinelectronicenvironments.Recently,attorneysfromtheCriminalDivision
havealsoassumed anexpanded international rolebyproviding prosecutors, judges, legislators, and
other concerned government officials from anumber ofcountries withlegal advice, training and
assistance.
Domestic Enforcement Role
TheFederal Bureau ofInvestigation andtheUnited States Customs Service areprimarily
responsibleforinvestigatingviolationsofourlawsagainstcriminalcopyrightinfringementandtrademark
counterfeiting. These investigations arethenbrought totheDepartment ofJustice andtheUnited States
Attorney 'sOffices torender decisions ontheprosecutor merits ofeachcriminal matter, andtoprosecute
theresulting cases. Attorneys from theDepartment 'sCriminal Division playanintegral roleinthe
investigation andprosecution ofintellectual property offences. Attorneys fromtheDivision 'sComputer
Crime Unit, forexample, willsoonbeproviding theUnited States Attorney 'sOffices withupdated
versions oftheDivision 'sintellectual property prosecution manual tofacilitate theprosecution of
copyright infringement andtrademark counterfeiting violations andtorespond toquestions thatarise
from changes inthelawandprevailing technology.IP/C/W/12/Add.2/Suppl.1
Page2
Intellectual Property Rights inElectronic Environments
There arenowanumber ofways thatcopyrighted materials canbetransferred electronically.
International computer networks liketheInternet canbeusedtoduplicate andtransmit many forms
ofcopyrighted works tohundreds ofindividuals inseconds, evenwithout theknowledge ofthelawful
owner. Thepremature orotherwise unauthorized release ofasingle digitized copyofavalued work
canresult inthealmost immediate reproduction anddistribution ofhundreds ofthousands ofinfringing
copies. Thisunauthorized distribution candestroy markets fornewproducts before theyhaveever
beenreleased, andcanputtowaste years ofthought andresearch andmillions ofdollars indevelopment
ofnovel works andproducts.
Wehavethusmade concerted efforts tokeepfederal lawsahead ofthe"technology curve"
tofacilitate theprotection ofcopyrighted digitized works. Congress 'late1992 amendments tothe
criminal copyright scheme nowenable theGovernment tobring felony charges against those involved
insoftware piracy andinfringement ofother copyrighted works notcovered bytheprior legislative
scheme. Department attorneys havebeeninstrumental inproposing toCongress newlegislation aimed
atenhancing protection forcopyrighted works inelectronic environments, andatachieving additional
deterrence through improved sentencing schemes.
International Training andAssistance
Increasingly, theDepartment hasbeenasked tostepoutside ofitsmore traditional domestic
enforcement roletoassist theAdministration inimportant international objectives relating tothe
protection ofintellectual property rights. Lastyear, forexample, theUnited States Attorney General
wasasked byMexico toofferrecommendations relating toenhanced protection ofintellectual property
rights. TheAttorney General wasabletooffersubstantive recommendations infourdiscrete areas:
civilenforcement, criminal enforcement, border control, andcontinuing cooperation.
Attorneys fromtheCriminal Division andtheComputer Crime Unithavebeenregularly called
upon toprovide education andtraining intheinvestigation andenforcement ofcriminal copyright
infringement, trademark counterfeiting, andother forms ofcrimes against intellectual property. To
datetheyhavemade presentations todelegations fromIndia, Italy, Russia, Thailand, Hong Kong, the
Philippines, Australia andTaiwan, andhaveplayed anactive roleinassisting theOffice oftheUnited
States Trade Representative withrespect toitsobjectives inChina.
Criminal Division Involvement inChina
In1994, theUnited States Trade Representative (USTR) requested Department ofJustice
assistance inconsultations withChinese prosecutors, judges andother highpublic officials toestablish
andenforce criminal protection forintellectual property rights. InFebruary 1994, officials fromthe
Criminal Division oftheDepartment ofJustice travelled toBeijing, todeliver presentations toChinese
officials atseminars addressed tointellectual property rights enforcement. InDecember 1994, they
metwithkeymembers ofChina 'sState Council andSupreme Court. InJuly1995, theyserved as
instructors inthejointFBI/Customs Seminar onIntellectual Property Rights Enforcement thatwas
heldforthebenefit ofapproximately 40high-level officials oftheSupreme People 'sProcuratorate.
During theweek, theydelivered apresentation ontheUnited States legalsystem andtheprosecution
ofintellectual property offences.IP/C/W/12/Add.2/Suppl.1
Page3
TheOffice ofProfessional Development andTraining (OPDAT)
TheCriminal Division oftheDepartment ofJustice hasalsobeen involved inongoing
international training initiatives. Through theOffice ofProfessional Development andTraining, the
Criminal Division iscurrently coordinating avariety ofjudicial andprosecutorial training programmes
outside theUnited States.
InLaPaz,Bolivia, forexample, OPDAT hasstationed aCriminal Division attorney andsupport
staffandisdeveloping atraining programme forBolivian prosecutors inconjunction withtheBolivian
Attorney General. Spanish-speaking Assistant United States Attorneys andothers withprosecutorial
experience havebeenrecruited byOPDAT andarepresenting programmes toBolivian prosecutors.
AsaresultofOPDAT'soperationsinBolivia,OPDAThasbeenrequestedtoundertakeasimilartraining
programme inanother Andean country. OPDAT isalsoproviding training forjudges andprosecutors
inHaiti inconjunction withtheHaitian Ministry ofJustice. Over thepastthree years, OPDAT has
planned, coordinated, andparticipated infourbinational seminars involving federal judges from the
United States andMexico. Twooftheweek-long seminars havebeenheldinMexico andtwointhe
United States. Thecomparative lawprogrammes have sought toimprove communications and
understanding between thetwosystems.
TheCriminal Division, through OPDAT, alsohosts awide range ofinternational visitors.
Many ofthevisitors receive presentations byOPDAT attorneys, inEnglish orSpanish, thatprovide
anoverview oftheUnited States criminal justice process. Visitors withinterests inmore specialized
areas areprovided presentations byother, more specialized components oftheJustice Department.
Theoverriding common issueofinterest tothevisitors iswhether theideas, procedures orstructures
found intheUnited States system might beutilized intheircountries. Requests formeetings often
relatetomoneylaundering,organizedcrime,assetforfeiture,narcoticanddangerousdrugs,international
affairs, corruption ofpublic officials, juvenile justice anddelinquency prevention, civilrights andan
overview oftheUnited States criminal justice process.
OPDAT inRussia
OPDAT 'sresident legaladvisors toRussia continue toprovide training toRussian prosecutors
andjudges. Training hasbeenconducted attheProsecutorial Training Academies inMoscow and
St.Petersburg aswellasattheMinistry ofJustice. OPDAT isalsocontinuing towork closely with
theABA/CEELI programme toprovide awidearray oflegalassistance toRussian lawenforcement
officials. Since theinitiation oftheprogramme lastApril, over200Russian prosecutors andjudges
haveparticipated inthetraining.