International conference seeks to strengthen global collaboration on intellectual property crime

The 11th annual International Law Enforcement IP Crime Conference, held this week in New York, aims to increase international partnerships to prevent intellectual property crime and form enforcement strategies.

The event was co-hosted by INTERPOL and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), which is led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). UL (Underwriters Laboratories) and the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) partnered with two organizations on the event.

“The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center is committed to targeting the illegal importation of counterfeit goods that threaten health and safety, wreak havoc on the U.S. economy and fund other types of criminality,” Acting ICE Deputy Director Peter T. Edge said.

The event included a review of operational case studies, best practices and industry perspectives and include approximately 600 participants from more than 60 countries. Attendees discussed issues such as the importing of counterfeit goods, illicit trafficking on the Internet and safeguarding the public against potentially harmful products.

“Combining our efforts on a global scale by involving all stakeholders from the public and the private sectors is the only way to get ahead of the ever-advancing criminals who make significant profits distributing products that are potentially harmful to public health,” INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services Tim Morris said.