Jonesboro, AR -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/29/2012 -- Copyright infringement is a growing issue that has the attention of authorities and legislators around the world. Copyright infringement is simply the unauthorized use of someone else’s intellectual property protected by copyright. Copyright infringement ignores the exclusive rights an intellectual property owner has over a copyright registered at the United States Copyright Office.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder created the Intellectual Property (IP) Task Force to combat the growing number of domestic and international intellectual property crimes, protect the health and safety of American consumers, and safeguard the nation’s economic security against those who seek to profit illegally from American creativity, innovation and hard work. The IP Task Force seeks to strengthen intellectual property rights protection through heightened criminal and civil enforcement, greater coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and increased focus on international enforcement efforts, including reinforcing relationships with key foreign partners and U.S. industry leaders. 

Best-known copyright infringement cases include Apple vs. Microsoft, Napster vs. A & M Records, Viacom vs. Youtube. Copyright infringement intellectual property lawsuits, are hugely important news globally.

Currently businesses and governments around the world are watching an Intellectual Property Copyright lawsuit filed in March 2012 to see if Chinese courts will finally protect foreign Intellectual Property. Chinese courts could define the risks foreign companies take when they try to make money in China’s booming markets. The U.S. green energy company AMSC is suing its former customer Sinovel Wind Group Co., China’s biggest wind turbine manufacturer, for breach of contract, copyright infringement, and theft of trade secrets. AMSC, based in Devens, Mass., is asking for about US $1.2 billion in damages, making this the largest intellectual property case to date in China. Chinese courts are aware of the world’s scrutiny as they decide the case.

Another high profile intellectual Property copyright case filed in April 2012 in the United States District Court Eastern District of Arkansas asserts twenty-four government agencies, government individuals, and nine corporations conspired in organized theft of intellectual properties of Lendell Earl Hillhouse, Sr. The case charges the defendants are responsible for massive piracy of multiple copyrighted works that are generating billions of dollars in illegal proceeds in concert with private enterprises causing more than $87 billion dollars in damages to the legal owners of copyrighted intellectual properties.

Hillhouse vs. U.S. Treasury is among the largest copyright cases ever executed in the United States, directly targeting the misuse of public office and distribution of copyrighted proprietary information in the commission of committing and facilitating intellectual property theft for illegal profits without compensation to the owners.

This case relates to letters by the Plaintiff requesting the United States Attorney General, Eric Holder, stop the theft of intellectual property and clarify the application of The Economic Espionage Act 1996 passed under President Bill Clinton. 

The suit asserts government agencies and government individuals, working in concert with private corporations conspired to commit copyright infringement, to misuse public office and in effect committed organized racketeering. If convicted, the individuals each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on conspiracy to commit racketeering, five years in prison on conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, and five years in prison on each substantive charge of criminal copyright infringement and treble financial damage pursuant to their blatant deception.

According to the complaint, the conspiracy has operated between government agencies that unlawfully reproduced and distributed infringing copies of copyrighted works, intellectual properties, proprietary information programs, and business plans on a massive scale for more than four years. The conspirators’ own websites and press releases acknowledge having billions of dollars in revenues from implementations of the Plaintiff's copyrighted proprietary information. The estimated harm caused by the conspirators' criminal conduct to the lawful copyrights holder is in excess of $87 billion. The conspirators acknowledge more than $300 billion in profits resulting from the asserted conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, and criminal copyright infringement.