The civil Chilean police have recently created a special division called the Investigative Brigade of Crimes against Intellectual Property (BRIDEPI).

The goal of this new police unit is to mitigate crimes linked with law 17.336 on intellectual property and law 19.039 on industrial property, in accordance with Chile's commitment to several international agreements. The unit will allow the police to operate more efficiently and effectively.

The new brigade is administratively and disciplinarily dependent upon the National Headquarters of Economic Crimes and aids in the investigation of a variety of commercial crimes. It will assist the investigative brigades of economic crimes, cybercrime, money laundering and assets and port crimes.

Since its creation in early 2008, the BRIDEPI has seized more than 45,000 counterfeit goods related to industrial property crimes, as well as more than 350,000 pirated products ready to be sold in Chile. These sales would have had a detrimental impact on the intellectual property rights of a number of major companies, including many foreign companies, particularly in the entertainment industry.

Initiatives such as this one are a crucial step in reconciling Chile's debt to the international community and to developed countries in particular. Amongst other goals, the country should strive to be removed from the United States' priority watch list, where Chile remains due to its inadequate protection for the intellectual property rights of transnational companies. This new unit is a clear signal that the Chilean government is placing increased importance on the enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Rodrigo Velasco S

Alessandri & Compañia
El Regidor 66, Piso 10, PO Box 136-34
Las Condes, Santiago
Chile
Tel: +562 787 6000
Fax: +562 787 6062
ip@alessandri.cl 
www.alessandri.cl