The continued war on piracy will continue in 2011 within the United States and across the world, with the US and other nations leading the charge. The US government will offer funding, training and technical assistance to foreign governments looking to crack down on intellectual property (IP) copyright infringement cases.
Money will go to Interpol, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, and several other regions that will fund training and work operations with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Along with IP enforcement, the multi-national effort will also increase funding to identify and seize counterfeit pharmaceuticals illegally sold on the street and over the Internet.
Since the Obama Administration took office, there has been a continued trend towards stronger enforcement against piracy -- both in the US and overseas -- as the RIAA, MPAA, and other copyright groups continue lobbying government officials.
There is now increased pressure on Asia, Russia, and parts of Eastern Europe, because IP enforcement isn't a priority in many of these nations. Easy access to pirated material in shops and from street vendors has also plagued copyright groups looking to crack down on this type of activity.
The US has tried to pressure China and Russia on their lack of piracy enforcement, but it seems that training seminars and enforcement sharing was deemed a better idea.
In the future, copyright groups will continue to rely on the US federal government to help enforce intellectual property protection. The lobbying and millions of dollars being shoveled over to US politicians appears to be working, as the US Government is now highly focused on piracy crackdowns, seizing domain names and even attempting to create an Internet censorship bill that will blacklist domains.
