Justice Department Educates Foreign Judges on Piracy Issues

[silicon_toad2000]

The U.S. Department of Justice is ramping up its battle against online piracy. Yesterday another $2.4 million was dedicated to the ever-increasing threat, and Attorney General Eric Holder seized the opportunity to gloat about some recent anti-piracy successes. Besides claiming the Megaupload takedown as a clear victory, Holder also noted that the DoJ has trained, educated and met with thousands of foreign judges, prosecutors, investigators, and policymakers on piracy issues.

This week the U.S. Department of Justice awarded $2.4 million in grants to continue their ongoing ‘war on piracy’.

The money will make it possible for police departments to dedicate more personnel to fight intellectual property “theft”, and counter the claimed devastation of individual lives and legitimate businesses that comes with it.

“Without question, these new investments are coming at a critical time. As our country continues to recover from once-in-a-generation economic challenges, the need to defend IP rights – and to protect Americans from IP theft – has never been more urgent,” Attorney General Eric Holder said.

Holder also used the announcement to emphasize the successes booked by the Justice Department so far, achievements not just limited to the homeland either. Holder explains that the department has schooled thousands of people across the world on piracy and counterfeiting issues.

“Because IP crime is global in nature, I’ve prioritized increasing our international engagement. In fact, to date, Department officials have trained, educated, and met with thousands of foreign judges, prosecutors, investigators, and policymakers from more than 100 countries on IP protection,” Holder noted.

While it is no secret that the U.S. is helping foreign countries rewrite their copyright laws, it came as a surprise to us that judges are also being influenced by the Justice Department. Judges are supposed to be impartial and are generally quite aware of the law already.

However, Holder’s comments suggest that the U.S. was able to school judges on IP crime.

While this may have worked in some cases, there are signs that not all upholders of the law are siding with the U.S. stance. Talking about copyright related issues, New Zealand’s District Court Judge David Harvey criticized the U.S. push for harsher copyright laws.

A cartel in judges clothing?

[Trestor]

As Bernard Woolley once said about judicial impartiality: "Trains are impartial too, but if you lay down the guidelines, that's where they go."