(Posted January 2006)
 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
By Allison Areias

U.S. trainers recently sponsored an optical disc forensic training program in the Philippines. Here, Filipino officials confiscate pirated video compact discs from stalls in Manila. (AP/WWP)

Web site for the U.S. government IPR Training Programs Database. (Courtesy www.training.ipr.gov)

Countries with effective intellectual property (IP) protection reap the benefit of protecting their own intellectual property, as well as creating a positive foreign investment environment. But many countries face serious obstacles to IP protection, such as a lack of IP awareness, inadequate laws, and ineffective enforcement mechanisms, and many do not have the resources to address these issues.

The U.S. government and U.S.-based IP private industries provide extensive training for foreign officials and nationals. During 2003 and early 2004, U.S. trainers sponsored 295 programs, ranging from optical disc forensic training in the Philippines to prosecution and investigation techniques in Egypt. U.S. government IP training providers include the Patent and Trademark Office, the Department of Commerce Commercial Law Development Program, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security divisions of Customs and Border Protection and of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Library of Congress' Copyright Office. The U.S. State Department funds many training programs, either through the Agency for International Development (USAID), the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, or the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. These programs include, for example, prosecutorial training, led by the Justice Department, with hands-on instruction on how to try an IPR case and operational training by the Department of Homeland Security to help customs officers to better identify and seize counterfeit goods at ports and border crossings.

U.S. embassies abroad also provide and coordinate IP training programs, as well as public awareness and outreach activities. The State Department invests significant resources to develop the necessary IP expertise in its officer corps overseas, so as to enable them to support our overall training efforts in addition to recognizing IP issues and addressing them through diplomatic channels.

The U.S. private sector is also very active. The Recording Industry Association of America, the Motion Picture Association of America, the Business Software Alliance, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the International Intellectual Property Institute, the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, and their member companies and contributors all provide training worldwide. For instance, in December 2004, the International Intellectual Property Institute paired with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to hold a three-day seminar in West Africa for over 70 participants, including judges, attorneys, public health experts, and business people from Nigeria, The Gambia, Senegal, Ghana, and Burundi. The participants learned about the role IP plays in economic development for West Africa, the problems of counterfeit medicines in their region, and how IP acts as a catalyst for the film and music industries in their countries.

Training programs focus on all aspects of IP enforcement, as well as intragovernmental coordination and the importance of strong relationships between the police, IP officials, judicial authorities, and rights holders. Focusing IP enforcement training efforts on smuggling trends and routes is also critical, especially for areas where porous borders facilitate international trafficking in counterfeit and pirated products. With the commercialization of the Internet and the rise of Internet piracy, U.S. trainers also help countries develop the legislative and enforcement framework necessary to address this growing problem.

U.S. government and industry training is catalogued at http://www.training.ipr.gov/. The site includes brief descriptions of the training programs and contact information for the training providers. Although many of these programs are for foreign government officials, some are open to the public and offered free of charge.

For more information about IP training, please contact the Office of International Intellectual Property Enforcement, U.S. Department of State, at (202) 647-3251, or at EB/TPP/IPE, Room 3638, 2201 C Street, Washington, D.C., 20520.