Combating Piracy: Intellectual Property Theft and Fraud

by Jay S. Albanese (Editor)

Overview

Fraud and piracy of products and ideas have become common in the early twenty-first century, as opportunities to commit them expand, and technology makes fraud and piracy easy to carry out. In Combating Piracy: Intellectual Property Theft and Fraud, Jay S. Albanese and his contributors provide new analyses of intellectual property theft and how perpetrators innovate and adapt in response to shifting opportunities.

The cases described here illustrate the wide-ranging nature of the activity and the spectrum of persons involved in piracy of intellectual property. Intellectual property theft includes stolen copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and patents, which represent the creative work of individuals for which others cannot claim credit. The distributors of books, movies, music, and other forms of intellectual property pay for this right, and those who distribute this work without compensation to its creator effectively hijack or "pirate" that property without the owner's or distributor's permission. The problem has grown to the point where most software in many parts of the world is pirated. The World Health Organization estimates that 10 percent of all pharmaceuticals available worldwide are counterfeit.

Such widespread fraud illustrates the global reach of the problem and the need for international remedies that include changed attitudes, public education, increasing the likelihood of apprehension, and reducing available opportunities. The contributors show that piracy is a form of fraud, a form of organized crime, a white-collar crime, a criminal activity with causes we can isolate and prevent, and a global problem. This book examines each of these perspectives to determine how they contribute to our understanding of the issues involved.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412811460
Publisher:	Transaction Publishers
Publication date:	08/15/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Jay S. Albanese has served as the chief of the International Center at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Justice (2002-2006). He is currently professor of government and public policy at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the author of numerous works, including Criminal Justice and Organized Crime in Our Times and contributor to Comparative Criminal Justice Systems.

Table of Contents

Introduction -Jay S. Albanese 1. Fraud: The Characteristic Crime of the Twenty-first Century -Jay S. Albanese 2. Intellectual Property Theft and Organized Crime: The Case of Film Piracy -Jeffrey Scott McIllwain 3. Causes and Prevention of Intellectual Property Crime -Nicole Leeper Piquero 4. Intellectual Property and White-collar Crime: Report of Issues, Trends, and Problems for Future Research -Annette Beresford, Christian Desilets, Sandy Haantz, John Kane, and April Wall 5. Addressing the Global Scope of Intellectual Property Crimes and Policy Initiatives -Hedieh Nasheri 6. Report of the Task Force on Intellectual Property -U.S. Department of Justice About the Contributors Index

Editorial Reviews

[A]n informative analysis of current challenges and efforts in protecting intellectual property. It is also a very useful resource for information about new US and international laws, treaties and government task force reports… [R]ecommended for lawyers and others in any area of media and entertainment law.” —Peggy Garry, Public Research Quarterly “A fascinating collection of important aspects relative to the intellectual property theft and fraud problem...should be required reading in any organized or white-collar crime class that wants to be at the cutting edge of the learning curve.” — Dave Whelan, Delaware Valley College “Examines the historical background and common definitions of such crimes, explains their extent and impact, and provides meaningful recommendations for addressing the problem. Make(s) the important case for seeing the problem of intellectual property theft and fraud as a global crime problem—one that can be linked to current issues of concern like immigration and terrorism.” —Harry Dammer, University of Scranton "Some crimes receive disproportionately more attention from researchers than the crime's affect on society may warrant. Others receive considerably less attention than they deserve. Jay Albanese's compilation on intellectual property theft and fraud is clearly in the latter category. The six contributions making up Combating Piracy introduce the general subject matter and provide specific information about such particular topics as film piracy and intellectual property crimes. Drawing on the efforts of researchers, and a helpful "what can be done" federal task force report, this timely book provides scholars, students, and informed citizens, with key information on a crime about which the world community will surely (if unfortunately) hear more in the coming decades." —Philip L. Reichel, Ph.D., Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Northern Colorado Chair, International Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Studies

From the Publisher