In May, U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales announced legislative proposal labeled the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007 before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy.

The Department of Justice's dedication to fighting intellectual property can be seen in elements of the government run Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP) Initiative and includes actions for executing valuable resources, and prosecuting counterfeiters.

The Criminal Division of the Justice Department, in partnership with U.S. Attorneys Offices, has recently developed a strong record of prosecuting those who infringe on IP law.  

"To meet the global challenges of IP crime, our criminal laws must be kept updated," Gonzales said during a speech before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. The Act would improve the Department's ability to prosecute crimes and to defend the IP rights of citizens and industries, and outlines actions that would:

• Increase the maximum penalty for counterfeiting offenses from 10 years to 20 years imprisonment where the defendant knowingly or recklessly causes or attempts to cause serious bodily injury, and increase the maximum penalty to life imprisonment where the defendant knowingly or recklessly causes or attempts to cause death;
• Provide stronger penalties for repeat-offenders of the copyright laws;
• Implement broad forfeiture reforms to ensure the ability to forfeit property derived from or used in the commission of criminal intellectual property offenses;
• Strengthen restitution provisions for certain intellectual property crimes;
• Ensure that the exportation and transshipment of copyright-infringing goods is a crime, just as the exportation of counterfeit goods is now criminal.

 Legislation proposed by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will criminalize even mere "attempts" to infringe copyrights, permit wiretaps for piracy investigations, and 
allow for easier seizure of PCs and other hardware used to commit copyright violations. In a written statement, Gonzalez said: Because intellectual property is critical to 
not only our economy but also to the public's health and safety, the Attorney General is strongly committed to the protection of intellectual property rights, the 
safeguarding of our citizens, and the punishment of those who violate the law.