IP Crime and Its Link to Other Serious Crimes: Focus On Poly-Criminality

The aim of this report from the European Union Intellectual Property Office is to inform law enforcement officials and policy makers about the various ways in which intellectual property (IP) crime is linked to other forms of criminal activity. There are two ways IP crime can be linked to other criminal activities: with one criminal activity supporting the other, or as parallel activities. The case examples in this report illustrate how a wide range of different crimes are linked to IP crime, including money laundering, document fraud, cybercrime, fraud, drug production and trafficking and terrorism. They illustrate that the idea of IP crime as a victimless crime is misguided and can result in a lack of attention for the harm resulting from these criminal activities.