[ga] New U.S. National IPR Coordination Center

["Jeffrey A. Williams" <jwkckid1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

All,

  An FYI that will be effecting all of us:

The U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and Commerce and
Postal Inspection Service announced last week the creation of a new
National IPR Coordination Center that will be central point of the US
federal government fight against counterfeiters.

The fact sheet is available here:
http://149.101.23.4/pi/news/factsheets/IPR_FS070117.htm

I copied below the press release by Office of Public Affairs of the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
July 10, 2008
Contact: Brandon Alvarez- Montgomery
ICE Public Affairs
Phone: (202) 538-1846
www.ice.gov

News Release
NEW NATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS COORDINATION CENTER OPENS IN
VIRGINIA

Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and Commerce and Postal
Inspection Service open command post to take joint action against
counterfeiters

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced
today the opening of a new high-tech National Intellectual Property
Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) in Northern Virginia that will
help maximize member agencies? authorities and resources to counter
the global threat of intellectual property rights violations.

?Intellectual property rights crimes are increasing in volume and
complexity, costing legitimate companies and their hard-working
employees billions in irreplaceable revenue,? sa id Homeland Security
Secretary Michael Chertoff. ?These crimes threaten the health and
safety of American consumers, and put illicit funds in the hands of
criminals here as well as unknown recipients overseas. This center
will fuse federal resources and promote partnerships with industry in
new and powerful ways to protect American business and consumers from
falling victim to dangerous and illicit goods.?

The center will host the restructured partnership of its components,
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and
Border Protection, with the Department of Commerce, Health and Human
Services? Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Justice?s
Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service
to combat counterfeiting and trademark piracy.

?Intellectual property is one of America?s most precious assets,? said
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez. ?The Bush
Administration has recognized the critical task of protecting
intellectual property both domestically and internationally. This new
IPR Center is just another
example of this Administration stepping- up the fight against
counterfeiting and piracy.? DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and
Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined business leaders,
members of Congress and law enforcement officials to dedicate the new
facility in Crystal City, Va., and to explain how this state-of-the-
art center will function. The ICE- led IPR Center co-locates, for the
first time, the regulators and law enforcement agencies that work to
protect public safety and national security by stopping the
importation of counterfeit, substandard and tainted
products and the theft of intellectual property.

?Private sector rights holders ? across industries, across regions,
and even among competitors ? will unanimously agree that the fight
against IP crime cannot be won in isolation,? said Keith Williams,
president and CEO for Underwriters Laboratories, one of the world ?s
leading product safety testing and certification organizations, who
took part in the ceremony. ?The Center is perfectly positioned to
build global partnerships capable of achieving exponential success in
our collective battle against counterfeiting while fostering
innovation, encouraging investment in research and development, and
ultimately protecting the health and safety of consumers.?

Since 2000, the IPR Center has been the federal government?s central
point of contact in the fight against IPR violators. Under the new
structure, and in the state-of-the-art facility, partners will employ
a task force model to more effectively use authorities and resources
to attack this
international problem.

The agencies will jointly manage investigative leads, investigations
and operations and head off conflicts in enforc ement activity. In
addition, they will strategically reach out nationally and
internationally to train other law enforcement at every level about
investigative best practices, to
broaden intellectual property protection and to expand transnational
enforcement capabilities. For international law enforcement agencies,
the IPR Center will serve as a one-stop shop for partnering with the
U.S. government to dismantle the criminal enterprises behind the flow
of counterfeit items.

For more information, contact: The National Intellectual Property
Rights Coordination Center, 2451 Crystal Dr., Suite 200, Arlington,
Va. 22202, 1 866-IPR-2060. E- mail is IPRCenter@xxxxxxx

# ICE #
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was established in March 2003
as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland
Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a
21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a
number of key homeland security priorities.

Regards,

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