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- of State provided funds for 18 training programs for customs, police, and judicial officials from various trading partners, including Pakistan, Mexico, Indonesia, and the Philippines as well as regional trainings in Central America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. The U.S. Government works collaboratively on many of these training programs with the private sector and with various international entities such as WIPO and INTERPOL.
- IPR protection is a main focus of the government-to-government technical assistance provided by the Commerce Department's Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP). CLDP programs address enforcement and adjudication of disputes, as well as IPR protection and its impact on the economy, IPR law compliance with the WTO TRIPS Agreement, IPR curricula in law schools, and public awareness campaigns. CLDP supports capacity building in innovation and technology transfer as well as in patent examination and copyright management in many countries worldwide. CLDP also works with the judiciary in various trading partners to improve the skills to effectively adjudicate IPR cases, and conducts interagency coordination programs to highlight the value of a whole-of-government approach to IPR protection and enforcement.
- The Department of Justice Criminal Division, using funding provided by and in cooperation with the Department of State, and in cooperation with other U.S. agencies, provides IPR enforcement training to foreign officials. Topics covered in these programs include investigating and prosecuting cases under intellectual property, economic/financial and organized crime statutes, combatting Internet piracy, intragovernmental and international cooperation and information sharing, obtaining and using electronic evidence; and the general importance of reducing counterfeiting and piracy. Major ongoing initiatives include multiple programs in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa.
- The U.S. Copyright Office, often in conjunction with various international visitor programs, hosts international visitors, including foreign government officials, to discuss and exchange information on the U.S. copyright system, its registration and recordation functions, and various international copyright issues. Staff also participates in a number of conferences in the United States and abroad to discuss current copyright issues and inform the public about the activities of the Copyright Office.
The United States reports annually to the WTO on its IPR capacity building efforts, including most recently in October 2013. (See Technical Cooperation Activities: Information from Members – United States, IP/C/W/594/Add.6).
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