The United States Department of State has announced its approval of 12 anti-crime projects around the world aimed at intellectual property protection.

The US$2.6 million in total funds for the current fiscal year “will enable U.S. law enforcement agencies and diplomatic missions to collaborate on the delivery of IPR protection criminal enforcement training and technical assistance programs for foreign law enforcement partners,” the State Department said.

The projects include: three regional workshops in Africa that include a special focus on counterfeit medicines; training of judges and others in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); training seminars to get Brazil off the US Trade Representative’s “notorious markets” list; training of Chilean judges and Colombian police; workshops with IP officials from India, China and ASEAN; training for Mexican “enforcement partners on following the money trail, digital evidence in online piracy cases, and border and customs enforcement”; and seminars/training for judges and prosecutors in the Philippines, Thailand, and Turkey.

According to State, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs selected the projects “after considering input from the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, other federal agencies, our overseas missions, Congress, and industry representatives.” No mention was made of public interest groups.

(Source: Intellectual Property Watch)