Intellectual Property News

U.S. Names Intellectual Property Enforcement Chief

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced the appointment of federal prosecutor Christopher P. Sonderby to serve as Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordinator (IPLEC) for Asia, according to a January 5 news release from the Department of Justice.

Sonderby, an assistant U.S. attorney, has specialized in intellectual property cases at the U.S. Attorney's Offices in San Jose and Sacramento, California.  For the last two years he served as head of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Unit in the Northern District of California, leading a team of prosecutors who were specially trained to handle high-technology and intellectual property offenses.

As IPLEC for Asia, Sonderby will coordinate enforcement in priority areas of Asia from a base in Bangkok, Thailand.  He also will serve as the Justice Department's legal attache for Thailand.

"Protecting intellectual property rights in the United States and throughout the world is one of the highest priorities of the Department of Justice," Attorney General Gonzales said.  "My appointment of an Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordinator for Asia is an important step in coordinating enforcement efforts in a critical region of the world."

The IPLEC position was created in response to recommendations from the Justice Department's Task Force on Intellectual Property, established in 2004 by former Attorney General John Ashcroft to review the department's handling of intellectual property rights enforcement. 

The task force issued a comprehensive final report in October 2004.  More information on the task force and its final report is available on the Department of Justice Web site.

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