5 August 2008
Johannesburg — THE US government has thrown its weight behind the training of South African state officials in computer forensics in a bid to build SA's capacity to fight intellectual property (IP) and counterfeit crimes.
The training, which took place last month , was carried out by the US justice department, which also trains Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents. It was the first time the department had undertaken forensics training outside the US.
Mandla Mnyatheli, chief director of the trade and industry department's IP enforcement division, said a study showed that legitimate South African traders lost more than $2bn a year due to trade in counterfeit goods.
Sectors particularly vulnerable include pharmaceutical, automotive parts, aircraft parts and consumer goods, such as clothing, eyewear and handbags.
The department approached the US department of state to assist it with the training, aimed at honing the forensic and analytical skills of customs officials working for the South African Revenue Service , the police, the national prosecuting authority and officials working in the trade and industry department's IP enforcement division. To date 400 South African officials have been trained in a programme that kicked off last year, and US federal prosecutor Marie-Flore Kuoma, who helps facilitate the training, said it had directly contributed to cutting down the trade in pirated movies in SA by 90%. However, digital piracy was on the rise and international collaboration was needed because of the cross-border nature of the problem, she said.
The training will equip officials with technical skills to identify and analyse evidence.
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