Cook County Intellectual Property Crime Enforcement Project

This program is authorized by the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2011 (Pub. L. 1121-1017, div. B, secs. 1101-1104) and Pub. L. No. 111-117, 123 Stat. 3034, 3134, and informed by section 401 of Public Law 110-403, which authorizes the Department to provide funding to support state and local intellectual property enforcement efforts. The Intellectual Property Crime Enforcement Program is designed to provide national support and improve the capacity of state, local, and tribal criminal justice systems to address intellectual property criminal enforcement, including prosecution, prevention, training, and technical assistance. This program is generally informed by section 401 of Public law 110-403, which authorizes the Department to provide funding to support state and local intellectual property crime enforcement efforts.

The grantee will use funds under the Intellectual Property Crime Enforcement Program to accomplish the following goals: (1) Enforce criminal laws related to intellectual property (IP) crime; (2) Expand the work arising out of the existing task force to conduct investigations and forensic analyses of evidence and prosecutions in matters involving criminal laws related to IP crime; and (3) Educate the public and private industries to prevent, deter, and identify criminal violations of IP laws.

To achieve these goals, the grantee will dedicate one Intellectual Property Crime Assistant State's Attorney (IPC ASA) to be assigned to the Financial Crimes/Public Corruption Unit of the Special Prosecutions Bureau of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. The IPC ASA will work closely with the recently formed Regional Organized Crime (ROC) Task Force that is comprised of members of law enforcement, financial institutions, and private industries that focus on investigating and prosecuting individuals and criminal enterprises that prey on the economic stream in local, state, national, and international jurisdictions.

By collaborating and coordinating with federal, state, and local authorities through the ROC Task Force, the IPC ASA will identify IP issues, effectively assist with the investigation of these crimes, lend assistance and expertise to other law enforcement agencies in their own enforcement of IP crimes, identify cases that require an IP expert witness, and prosecute any IP cases that are charged.

CA/NCF