Law enforcement agencies will receive almost $4 million in grants from the federal government to fight intellectual property infringement, the Department of Justice said Thursday.
This is the second year of funding by Congress. The announcement was made at a conference in Pasadena.
The grantees include police agencies and district attorney's offices in California, North Carolina, Florida, New York, Mississippi, Virginia and Texas.
The Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department and the Los Angeles Police Department are among the recipients.
Awards were also made to the National Crime Prevention Council, the National Association of Attorneys General and the National White Collar Crime Center.
“The motion picture industry, along with all U.S. creative industries, leads the U.S. economy in contributing to job growth, and protecting the economic engine these industries represent from theft is critical," MPAA president and interim CEO Bob Pisano said in a statement supporting the grants.
