The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) announced that it welcomes the appointment of 15 new Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 20 FBI Special Agents to the Justice Department’s intellectual property protection task force.
For more information visit: www.mpaa.org
Unedited press release follows:
MPAA COMMENDS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT’S EXPANSION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENFORCEMENT TEAM
April 26, 2010 — Washington, D.C. – The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) today welcomed the appointment of 15 new Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 20 FBI Special Agents to the Justice Department’s intellectual property protection task force, greatly expanding its ability to respond to intellectual property crimes.
“We thank the Justice Department for its continued commitment to defending American jobs by enforcing the laws that shield the creative industries from theft both here and abroad,” said Daniel Mandil, Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Content Protection Officer of the MPAA.
Mandil added, “With its implementation of the IP Task Force and appointment of Victoria Espinel as the first-ever Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, the Obama Administration has made it clear that stamping out practices that harm American ingenuity is a strong priority, and we applaud their efforts to combat this threat to creative workers.”
Background
The Justice Department’s announcement comes on the 10th annual World Intellectual Property Day. The 15 newly appointed Assistant U.S. Attorneys will bolster the department’s Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) program, which works with the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) to pursue high tech computer and intellectual property offenses. The 20 new FBI Special Agents will strengthen the existing intellectual property squads in four hot spots of piracy – New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the District of Columbia.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Grindler serves as chair of the department’s Task Force on Intellectual Property which was established earlier this year by Attorney General Eric Holder to combat intellectual property crimes through close coordination with state and local law enforcement partners.
As part of its mission, the Task Force works closely with the recently established Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC), housed in the Executive Office of the President and charged with drafting an Administration-wide strategic plan on intellectual property. The Task Force assists IPEC in recommending improvements to intellectual property enforcement efforts.
The Task Force includes 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 of U.S. Attorneys; and the FBI.
About the MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries from its offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Its members include: The Walt Disney Studios; Paramount Pictures; Sony Pictures Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLLP; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.