The National IPR Center & RIAA Sign New Agreement To Combat Digital Piracy

The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have made a long-term agreement to expand and formalize their partnership on digital anti-piracy efforts. Under the agreement, RIAA and the IPR Center will coordinate public and private sector efforts to disrupt and combat all forms of digital piracy.

Through this expanded partnership, the IPR Center and RIAA will implement a multi-layered strategy to strengthen the digital ecosystem, conduct joint training events, educate consumers on the dangers of illegal streaming, enforce the nation’s intellectual property rights laws, and dismantle large-scale online criminal enterprises. The agreement will also develop comprehensive lead referral packages on the most egregious violators for criminal investigation.

“Investigations into illicit streaming services are extremely complex; these services are typically operated from abroad through multi-faceted schemes that touch numerous countries,” acting director of the IPR Center, Ricardo Mayoral shares. “Because of this complexity, our partnership with RIAA brings us one step closer toward dismantling criminal enterprises that think they are above the law, attempting to use the internet to hide illicit activity.”

Brad Buckles, RIAA’s Chief Content Protection Officer adds: “Digital piracy is too big a problem for any one artist, industry, or agency to handle on their own. The expanded partnership we have signed today helps solve that problem—strengthening cooperation and coordination between law enforcement and the private sector to protect digital music and the broader creative economy. As global piracy operations evolve their tactics and innovate new ways to steal and profit from creative works, this [memorandum of understanding] will empower creators and the federal government to work together on the cutting edge of this fast-moving fight.”

To date, the IPR Center, in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, has leveraged vast authorities and international law enforcement partnerships to intercept and dismantle criminal organization’s cyber piracy networks and arrest those responsible.