VZCZCXRO9004
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHAK #1742/01 0901513
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 311513Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4459
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 7056
RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 0846
RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA 1011
RUEHTI/AMEMBASSY TIRANA 0234
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 0010
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0207
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0594
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001742 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INL/RM AND EB/TPP/IPE 
DEPT PASS USTR FOR JCHOE-GROVES, LERRION 
DEPT PASS USPTO FOR JURBAN AND EWU 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/CRUSNAK 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD KIPR KCRM TU
SUBJECT:  PROPOSAL FOR INL-FUNDED REGIONAL IPR TRAINING 
FY 2006 
 
REF: A) STATE 34733 
 
ANKARA 00001742  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) This message was coordinated with Embassies, 
Athens, Bucharest, Sofia, and Tirana and Consulate 
Thessaloniki. 
 
¶2. (U) As requested ref A, this message provides a 
proposal for FY '06 INL-funded regional IPR training. 
 
IPR: A REGIONAL PROBLEM 
----------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to USTR, Turkey, Greece, and their 
neighboring Balkan countries represent a region of 
increasing concern for IPR violations, both in the 
production and trans-shipment of pirated goods.  In 
2005, Turkey was placed on the Special 301 Priority 
Watch List, and Bulgaria and Romania were listed on the 
Watch List.  For 2006, these countries will likely 
remain in their 2005 categories, and Greece is also 
being considered for inclusion on the Watch List.  While 
these countries have made substantial improvements 
related to IPR protection, deficiencies still exist, 
especially in the areas of enforcement and prosecution. 
For example, in industry's 2006 Special 301 submissions, 
many emphasized the increase in both production and 
trans-shipment of pirated goods in and through Turkey. 
Products that violate both copyrights and patents and 
trademarks were mentioned in these submissions. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Officials in this region widely assume that a 
link exists between organized crime and the production 
and distribution of pirated goods, but the investigation 
and prosecution of IPR offenses in this context have not 
been successful.  In addition, organized criminal 
activity in the region reaches beyond the domestic 
borders and allegedly includes the shipment of goods 
through these countries from the area of production to 
the distribution destination.  Consulate Thessaloniki 
previously provided training for Southeastern Europe 
Cooperative Initiative members on organized crime in the 
region, but IPR was only a small component of this 
program.  We believe that a training program that would 
assist law enforcement in linking IPR with organized 
crime would enable enhanced IPR seizures and enforcement 
as well as provide stronger criminal penalties for the 
parties responsible for producing and shipping the 
pirated goods. 
 
PROPOSAL: SOUTHEAST EUROPE REGIONAL IPR TRAINING 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5. (U) To this end, we propose a regional IPR training 
program targeting southeastern European countries for 
which IPR violations are a growing problem.  In this 
proposed training, the Department of Justice Office of 
Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and 
Training (OPDAT), and in coordination with USPTO, the 
Department of State Bureau for Economic and Business 
Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. 
Embassy Ankara, would deliver a regional assistance 
program focused on linking and prosecuting intellectual 
property rights violations (copyrights, patents and 
trademarks) in the larger context of regional organized 
crime to a target audience of customs officials, police 
and prosecutors from Turkey, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria 
and Albania.  The assistance program would focus on the 
effective identification of such goods by police and 
customs officials and enhanced investigative and 
prosecutorial techniques and procedures to link these 
goods with organized crime. 
 
¶6. (U) The assistance program will be conducted by a USG 
TDY team in Turkey, with a target date of the last 
quarter of '06.  Due to the regional nature of this 
proposed training and the number of USG TDY officials 
and participants, we estimate that approximately USD 
 
ANKARA 00001742  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
$100,000 will be needed.  This assistance would include 
travel and per diem for the USG TDY team, and for third- 
country official travel and lodging, as needed, to 
Ankara (Note: In each of these countries, officials have 
indicated to us that their participation in 
international training courses is often contingent upon 
the availability of outside funds to cover their travel 
expenses.  End note.)  In order to facilitate continued 
cooperation between the participants, we propose that 
only those officials with sufficient English attend this 
training (if qualified English-speaking participants can 
be identified) and, thus, translation should not be 
needed.  We anticipate that the GOT would provide a 
training facility, but funds for the reproduction of 
training material and logistics support will also be 
needed. 
 
RESULT: ENHANCED COOPERATION 
---------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) A regional program of this nature will provide 
the participants with the opportunity to network and 
learn about each country's IPR practices and procedures. 
In addition, it will reinforce to the participants the 
regional nature of IPR crimes and encourage enhanced 
information sharing and transnational cooperation. 
While such a regional program is more costly, it is more 
cost effective than providing the same type of training 
separately in each of the countries involved. 
MCELDOWNEY