Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced on Wednesday that the California Department of Justice has received a $200,000 federal grant to help combat online piracy and other intellectual property crimes.
Intellectual property crime, according to the announcement, is to take someone’s idea, including music, games, books, unique names, or a profitable way of doing something. While intellectual property crime used to only be available as a physical product, such as bootleg DVDs or counterfeit designer goods, the crime has shifted to buying these goods online or downloading content like music or video games.
“As technology continues to develop rapidly, thieves have moved their illegal activities to computers and the Internet,” Harris said in a statement. “This grant will support my goal of being at the forefront of investigating these crimes and assuring that law enforcement officials throughout the state are well-equipped to bring those involved in intellectual property crimes to justice.”
Prosecutions for crimes that take place over the Internet are often difficult due to the confusion of which agencies are responsible for investigating online intellectual property crime.
The Department of Justice’s eCrime Unit received the grant for its California Intellectual Property Theft Enforcement Program, which advances prosecution, prevention and education related to intellectual property theft.
