Friday 12 September 2014

E-CRIME and the economic impact of cyber crime in Europe

Monica Lagazio (Associate Partner, Trilateral Research & Consulting LLP), has informed us of the commencement of a new European project, E-CRIME, which focuses  on the economic impact of cyber crime [which also touches on criminal aspects of intellectual property right protection] in Europe.  In conjunction with this, she has sent us a media release which reads, in relevant part:
"Some progress has been made in understanding and managing cyber crime as well assessing its economic impact. Yet much remains to be done. Lack of co-ordination in law enforcement and legislation, lack of common consensus on the nature of cyber crime and lack of knowledge sharing and trust are just some of the issues that both afflict cyber crime responses and cloud our understanding of cyber crime. 
The European Union is sponsoring a European project called E-CRIME in order to address these well-known problems. E-CRIME focuses on analysing the economic impact of cyber crime and developing concrete measures to manage risks and deter cyber criminals in non-ICT sectors. E-CRIME does so by adopting an inter-disciplinary and multi-level-stakeholder approach that fully integrates a wide range of stakeholders’ knowledge and insights into the project. 
First, the project will create a detailed taxonomy and inventory of cyber crime in non-ICT sectors, and analyse cyber criminal structures and economies by combining the best existing data sources with specialist new insights from key stakeholders and experts. 
Secondly, E-CRIME will assess existing counter-measures against cyber crime in non-ICT sectors in the form of current technology, best practices, policy and enforcement approaches, and awareness and trust initiatives. 
Thirdly, the project will use available information and new data to develop a multi-level model to measure the economic impact of cyber crime on non ICT-sectors. 
Fourthly, E-CRIME will integrate all its previous findings to identify and develop diverse, concrete counter-measures, combined in portfolios of inter-sector and intra-sector solutions.

... 
The consortium has now set up the E-CRIME Stakeholder Forum (ESF) comprising 24 representatives from key non-ICT sectors, ISPs and communication networks, law enforcement agencies, cyber security, legal, civil, and insurance companies, and governmental organisations from the Member States. The ESF acts as an advisory body for the consortium."
IP Finance proposes to keep an eye on this project, for which some ϵ3,749, 289 has been allocated. It will be interesting to see whether, and to what extent, the work of E-CRIME overlaps or is complementary to that of another institution, the OHIM-hosted European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights.

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