IP Crimes Target In 2015

The Panamanian Public Ministry recently reported that the Prosecutor´s Office specializing in crimes against intellectual property and computer security processed 578 files in 2015. Of these, 275 cases were related to crimes against industrial property, 236 to copyright and 67 to computer security.

During the presentation of the achievements, District Attorney Ricaurte González noted that every work that is product of the human intellect must not be counterfeited and that the Criminal Procedural Code establishes prison sentences from four to six years for violators.

González explained that most crimes against intellectual property are related to the counterfeiting of trademarks for clothes, bags and shoes, as well as film and music piracy. As an example, he pointed out that in May 2015, 6,129 CDs and DVDs were seized, and 10,359 in July 2015.