BJA FY 18 The Intellectual Property Enforcement Program: Protecting Public Health, Safety, and the Economy from Counterfeit Goods and Product Piracy | BJA 2018 13611

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2018 13611

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant opportunity titled "BJA FY 18 The Intellectual Property Enforcement Program: Protecting Public Health, Safety, and the Economy from Counterfeit Goods and Product Piracy" is a discretionary Department of Justice (DOJ) program created to strengthen how state, local, and tribal criminal justice systems investigate and prosecute intellectual property (IP) crimes. The program focuses on counterfeit goods and product piracy because these offenses can do more than harm legitimate businesses; they can also put the public at risk through unsafe products and undermine broader economic stability. In practical terms, the grant is meant to build stronger, more coordinated enforcement capabilities, not just fund isolated investigations.

The program, known as the Intellectual Property Enforcement Program (IPEP), is designed to provide national support while increasing local capacity across several key areas: prosecution, prevention, training, and technical assistance. That means funded projects can cover the operational and organizational work needed to run or improve an IP enforcement task force, as well as the skills-building needed for investigators and prosecutors to handle complex IP cases. The program emphasizes that effective IP enforcement is not only about seizing counterfeit products; it also includes building sustainable systems to detect, investigate, and bring cases forward in a way that holds up in court and deters future activity.

A central requirement of this solicitation is coordination. BJA intends to fund law enforcement agencies so they can better coordinate the goals, objectives, and day-to-day activities of their IP enforcement task forces in close collaboration with relevant partner agencies. The solicitation highlights that coordination across federal, state, local, and tribal authorities is a core DOJ priority and a major objective of the DOJ strategic approach to IP enforcement. As a result, applicants are expected to align their projects with the mission of the DOJ IP Task Force and to either establish or enhance IP enforcement task forces that are multi-agency by design.

The solicitation makes clear that these task forces should include relevant law enforcement partners and should work closely with federal agencies and offices when appropriate. Specifically mentioned partners include local U.S. Attorney's Offices (USAOs), and, depending on the jurisdiction and operational needs, local offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI), and U.S. Attorneys. The intention is to reduce fragmentation in enforcement, improve information sharing, and ensure cases are built with the right mix of investigative resources and prosecutorial support from the start.

In terms of eligibility, the opportunity is broadly available to a range of public-sector and education-based entities that can play a role in enforcement capacity-building. Eligible applicants include state governments; county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and private institutions of higher education. This mix reflects an understanding that effective IP enforcement often requires partnerships that extend beyond a single police department, including prosecutors, regional task forces, and training or research institutions that can support technical assistance and specialized education.

Administratively, the program was released by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, with a creation date of April 30, 2018, and an original application closing date of June 14, 2018. The award ceiling listed is $400,000, and BJA anticipated making approximately six awards. The funding instrument is a grant, and the program is categorized under CFDA 16.752. The funding activity categories attached to the opportunity include business and commerce, consumer protection, employment/labor and training, information and statistics, law/justice/legal services, and science and technology and other research and development, which signals that IP enforcement is being approached as both a public safety issue and a sophisticated economic crime problem that can require technical expertise.

Overall, this opportunity is aimed at helping jurisdictions create or strengthen organized, collaborative IP enforcement task forces that can consistently address counterfeit and pirated goods through coordinated investigations, stronger prosecution pathways, prevention strategies, and workforce development. The emphasis on alignment with DOJ priorities and on collaboration with USAOs and federal investigative agencies suggests that competitive projects would be those that demonstrate clear, structured partnerships, defined operational goals, and a plan to produce measurable improvements in local and regional IP enforcement capability.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the business and commerce, consumer protection, employment, labor and training, information and statistics, law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 18 The Intellectual Property Enforcement Program: Protecting Public Health, Safety, and the Economy from Counterfeit Goods and Product Piracy" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.752.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 30, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 14, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for BJA 2018 13611

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