Tulsa County Intellectual Property Enforcement Program

Tulsa County Intellectual Property Enforcement Program (TCIP) Project Abstract Intellectual Property Enforcement Program – FY 2021 Competitive Grant Announcement Grant Application – CFDA# 16.752 Submitted by: Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office – Tulsa County, Oklahoma Proposed Initiative: In order to secure public health and safety and the economy, this application seeks funding to establish an intellectual property crime task force in Tulsa County. The Tulsa County Intellectual Property Enforcement Program (TCIP) will fund the hiring of two personnel, a prosecutor and sheriff’s deputy, dedicated to investigating and prosecuting IP crimes and criminal networks. The TCIP has four aims—collaboration, prosecution, training, and education—that will develop the ability of the criminal justice community in Tulsa County to identify, prevent, and reduce IP violations. Peer-to-Peer exchanges, public education, and training for prosecutors and officers will create capacity on the state and local level to successfully deter IP crime. Target Population: Individuals and organizations that perpetrate intellectual property crimes in Tulsa County. Goal: The goal of this project is to mitigate existing IP crime and prevent future IP crimes from being committed in Tulsa County though the creation of a multiagency, multijurisdictional IP crime prevention task force. Objectives: Establish a task force to create pathways for intelligence-sharing between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies; Build on this collaboration by investigating and prosecuting IP crime in state and federal court; Train task force and multiagency personnel in best practices regarding IP crime identification, prosecution, and deterrence; and Educate the public, particularly consumers and merchants, about the harms caused by IP crime and the consequences of committing IP crime. Program Measurements and Performance Targets: Establish a task force with procedures for investigating and prosecuting IP crimes at the state and federal level, with training on best practices and community outreach regarding the harms of IP crime. Plan of Action/Activity: Strategic deployment of a prosecutor and investigator (sheriff’s deputy) to develop awareness of the IP crime landscape in Tulsa County, investigate and prosecute IP cases, lead and develop an IP task force, and gain and disseminate knowledge of IP crime.

This application was given priority consideration and provided verification that this project offer enhancements to public safety in economically distressed communities (Qualified Opportunity Zones).