The five-year INTERPOL Stop Online Piracy (I-SOP) initiative “will counter online piracy and crimes involving intellectual property rights infringement, identifying and dismantling linked illicit online marketplaces, as well as targeting the criminal networks and confiscating their assets.”
The Korean Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism has contributed €2.7 Million to the venture, which will also have collaboration with the Korean National Police Agency. The initiative will build public-private partnerships with industry, and work together with international anti-piracy advocacy organizations, and with academia.
“Korea’s support for this project will enable INTERPOL to assist countries develop a more targeted response in identifying the criminal networks, which can use their illicit profits to fuel other crimes,” added Secretary General Stock. Agencies representing other countries are expected to join the I-SOP initiative.
Read the complete press release (INTERPOL). Note: at the time of this writing, an I-SOP Web site was not yet available.
Why it matters
I-SOP’s launch aligns with the jump in online piracy coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to targeting criminal operations, I-SOP also has the goal of raising public awareness of the risks linked to digital piracy, including the spread of malicious software.
