Georgia’s IP Law Enforcement Advances with Statewide Task Force

by Captain James Callaway, City of Morrow Police Department, Georgia

Last week, Morrow Police Chief Jeff Baker and I had the opportunity to represent Georgia’s top law enforcement in our nation’s capitol. We met with Congressional representatives as well as federal law enforcement agencies to discuss the need for a statewide task force in Georgia—where the problem of IP theft has grown exponentially over the last several years. Our meetings in D.C. allowed us the opportunity to explore ways that this task force could collaborate with federal law enforcement, as well as obtain federal funding as appropriated by last year’s PRO-IP Act for state and local efforts such as this. 

As part of their continued efforts to strengthen state and local IP enforcement, the U.S. Chamber’s Global IP Center has been working with the law enforcement community in Georgia to launch a state wide task force to fight counterfeiting and piracy. The Morrow Police Department, through the GIPC’s partnership with Georgia’s Attorney General Thurbert Baker, became familiar with the concept of a statewide task force and volunteered to help establish one. The task force continues to recruit other state and local jurisdictions and is working diligently with state wide office holders, including Attorney General Baker. The task force is expected to be formally launched early this year.

This past year, effective enforcement efforts have yielded several, multi-million dollar raids.  We have also pioneered training for law enforcement in Georgia and have built a coalition between private industry and law enforcement. Our efforts have repeatedly proven that IP is NOT a victimless crime. We have seen how IP theft eats away at our local economy with job loss and presents a risk to public safety from counterfeit pharmaceuticals to electronics. We have also seen various levels of organized crime associated with the sales and distribution of counterfeit items. 

In the State of Georgia, over a dozen police agencies from all across the State have shown an interest in task force participation. The local problem is becoming more apparent to those in law enforcement once they learn the long reaching effects of IP crime in our state. 

While in DC last week, we had an opportunity to speak personally to Rep. Henry Johnson, Rep. David Scott, and Sen. Johnny Isakson from the Georgia delegation—all were very interested in our work and expressed their interest in supporting appropriations for a statewide task force.  We also met with representatives from Rep. Phil Gingrey, Rep. John Barrow, and Rep. Sanford Bishop, Jr.’s offices who were also very interested in our goals and work. Additionally, we also met with federal agencies—the Office of Justice Programs, the FBI, and the Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice— as well as representatives from the various IP-intensive industries. In meeting with industry representatives, we get to see firsthand the impact our efforts on the streets have on the industries that are directly affected by them.

Our trip to D.C. was a success—to say the very least. Our meetings with various groups have confirmed that we are, indeed, fighting the good fight to enforce the laws and put an end to IP theft and sales in the great State of Georgia. With garnered support from our elected officials, the federal agencies, and industry representatives, we are highly encouraged to continue to work on the advancement of the Georgia IP task force.