MUMBAI: Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) chairman and CEO Dan Glickman welcomed the Department of Justice’s announcement that more than $1.9 million in grants for criminal intellectual property (IP) enforcement will be sent to law enforcement agencies around the country to improve their ability to investigate, prosecute and prevent intellectual property infringement. The grants represent the first wave of funding resulting from the federal Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act (PRO-IP) enacted last year.
"We appreciate the Justice Department’s continued commitment to combating intellectual property infringement and its dedication to protecting the rights of American creators who contribute greatly to our nation’s economic growth. The motion picture industry, along with all US creative industries, leads the US economy in contributing to job growth and the recovery of our ailing economy. Protecting the economic engine these industries represent from theft is critical," said Glickman.
In 2007, the total copyright industries contributed 43.06% of total real US growth and collectively maintained a value of 11.05% of the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Additionally, the copyright industries in total together employed nearly 12 million people in 2007 at wages that well-exceeded the national average.
The PRO-IP Act strengthens civil and criminal intellectual property laws, ensures that federal law enforcement will have much needed resources, creates an office of intellectual property within the White House, and adds new international enforcement representatives around the world. The legislation received bipartisan support and was signed by the president last October.
The grantees include: Attorney General’s Office, MS ($200,000); Bronx County District Attorney, NY ($43,718); Chesterfield County, VA ($199,919); City of Los Angeles, CA ($199,995); Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, CA ($200,000); New York City, NY ($200,000); North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, NC ($44,485); National Association of Attorneys General, DC ($450,000); NW3C Inc. National White Collar Crime Center, VA ($450,000).
