Intellectual Property Rights

Embassy IPR Public Awareness Event Makes the Point

San Jose December 2, 2009

The National Geographic film Illicit played to a full house at the Costa Rican-American Cultural Center on December 2. The roughly 150 people in attendance included a mosaic of members of the diplomatic community, government officials, and representatives from the Legislative Assembly, judicial branch, the Patent and Trademark Office, various universities and a range of private sector organizations. The film explores the underground economy and is based on the book, Illicit, by Dr. Moíses Naím of Foreign Policy Magazine. Illicit reveals how the sale of pirated goods and falsified medicine is connected to transnational crime networks. Pedro León, a respected biologist from the University of Costa Rica, made remarks prior to the film screening and stressed the importance of registering intellectual property in a university setting as it can yield future income. León emphasized-protecting ideas while the movie Illicit focused on the negative effects of money laundering and corruption. Embassy San José's economic staff organized the event with sponsorship and support by the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) and five other organizations.

Other U.S. Government agencies workiing to protect intellectual property

United States Patent and Trademark Office

The Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA), a subset of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), has developed a series of video training modules to supplement its training curriculum on intellectual property issues. The videos, focusing on distinct areas of intellectual property rights, will expand the scope of GIPA’s influence around the globe.(more)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the investigative branch of the Department of Homeland Security, works to investigate the production and distribution of illegal goods. Its efforts stem the flow of illegal goods into the U.S. and threaten the criminal organizations involved in the worldwide illicit trade.(more in Spanish)

National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center

Partners of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center have seized thousands of potentially harmful medical products across five continents.(more)

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