IPR-Focused ICHIP
The Bucharest-based ICHIP supports the capacity building needs in partner nations throughout Europe (Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, including Central Asia) by assessing the capacity of law enforcement authorities throughout the region to enforce IPR; designing and implementing case-based mentoring and skills development training designed to enhance the capacity of justice sector personnel to enforce IPR; assisting in developing or strengthening institutions dedicated to IPR enforcement; monitoring regional trends in IPR protection; and furnishing expert assistance in support of U.S. intellectual property (IP) policies and initiatives in the region. The ICHIP also assists foreign partners with IPR-related legislative drafting and preparing country submissions for the U.S. Trade Representative’s annual Special 301 Report. Finally, the ICHIP acts as a liaison between U.S. law enforcement partners in the region and rights-holders, whose support is critical for IPR investigations and prosecutions.
Cyber-Focused ICHIPs
ICHIP The Hague and ICHIP Zagreb help to improve the capacity of foreign legal and law enforcement partners in Europe (Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, including Central Asia) to combat transnational cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime by addressing partner countries assistance needs through assessing the capacity of law enforcement, prosecutorial and judicial authorities to detect, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate cybercrime; designing and conducting case-based mentoring and skills training designed to enhance the capacity of justice sector personnel; assisting in developing or strengthening institutions dedicated to cybercrime enforcement; and monitoring regional trends and providing expert assistance in support of U.S. cybercrime policies and initiatives in the region. They also review and comment on draft legislation that seeks to address cybercrime and related digital evidence issues. ICHIP The Hague also works with officials at Eurojust and Europol as well as other regional organizations, such as the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Together, the ICHIPs in Europe have designed, organized, and implemented high quality programs for thousands of judges, prosecutors, investigators, digital forensic analysts, and policy officials from countries in the region.
Cyber-Focused ICHIP Recent Activities
- January 2023: ICHIP Zagreb traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia to assist with the implementation of Phase 3 of the 6-phase cybercrime capacity building project to strengthen the digital forensic and digital evidence investigative capabilities of the Georgian criminal justice sector. All 17 participants passed a Digital Forensics Incident Response Certification Test.
- December 2022: The ICHIP Zagreb Staff Attorney delivered a presentation at the annual Criminal Sciences and Practice Conference in Croatia which was officially opened by Croatia’s Minister of Justice and Public Administration (MOJ). The presentation provided an overview of the US approach to the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime as well as the ICHIP program. Over 150 judges, prosecutors, investigators, and academics from Croatia attended.
- November 2022: ICHIP Zagreb hosted a Croatian delegation for a study tour in Washington, DC, led by the Croatian Minister of Justice and Public Administration and the State Attorney General of the Republic of Croatia. The delegation attended meetings with Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bruce Swartz, CCIPS, FBI, the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), the State Department, Google, and Meta. In addition, members of the delegation traveled to Maryland to meet with US District Court Judge Paul Grimm.
- October 2022: ICHIPs Zagreb, Bucharest, and DWC organized the US-European Cryptocurrency Working Group Fall Meeting at Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC) in Bucharest, Romania. A total of 30 participants from Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Romania, and Serbia participated in the meeting which consisted of country updates, presentations from Chainalysis and Binance, and a full day of training provided by two Special Agents from the FBI’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET).
IPR-Focused ICHIP Recent Activities
- December 2022: ICHIP Bucharest attended a meeting of the Bulgaria Intellectual Property Working Group in Sofia, Bulgaria. The group discussed the need for legislative reform related to IP crime and settled on adding a provision to the Bulgarian criminal code dealing with intellectual property that would criminalize the creation or maintenance of an internet platform for the purpose of infringing copyright.
- November 2022: ICHIP Bucharest and OPDAT’s Baltics RLA conducted a digital piracy workshop for law enforcement officials and prosecutors from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The event was hosted by the Latvian Prosecutor General’s Office and participants heard presentations related to digital piracy, the rising importance of ad revenue, the prevalence of malware, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
- November 2022: ICHIP Bucharest participated in The Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program’s (CLDP) Central Asia-Lithuania workshop on combating counterfeits in Vilnius, Lithuania. The workshop focused particularly on small parcel interdiction, and the ICHIP presented on the US perspective on anti-counterfeit enforcement.
- October 2022: ICHIP Bucharest hosted a study visit for 12 Romanian officials from the newly established National IP Coordinator’s Office and the Romanian National Police’s digital piracy unit. The delegation attended meetings with AAG Kenneth A. Polite, FBI, CCIPS, OPDAT, USTR, IPEC, USPTO, the State Department, and US District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema (EDVA).