Blog Post

AAPA in Partnership with INTERPOL Hosts Webinar on International Collaboration In The Fight Against Piracy – Challenges And Opportunities

AAPA

14th April 2021

Over 275 participants, including representatives from law enforcement in 43 different countries across the world, joined speakers from the major international law enforcement agencies and the private sector to discuss the challenges and opportunities in fighting audiovisual piracy on a transnational basis. With Rory Corcoran, Assistant Director, Illicit Markets Sub Directorate, Organized and Emerging Crime Directorate, General Secretariat of INTERPOL, outlining its commitment to give more focus to anti-piracy activities Sergio Tirro, Head of Europol’s IPC3, Gabor Ivanics, Eurojust Liaison Officer to Europol EC3 and IPC3, and Steve Francis, Assistant Director for Global Trade Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Director of National Intellectual Property Rights Co-ordination Center (United States) described the key ingredients in delivering successful multi-agency, cross-border operations.

Opening the webinar Sheila Cassells, Executive Vice President AAPA, said that: “We are all aware that audiovisual piracy is a global phenomenon which requires a global response from law enforcement and industry if we are to fight it effectively. While it is currently more prevalent in some countries than others as broadband speeds and penetration grow, illegal streaming will become commonplace throughout the world. The disparities we see today can be reflected in the skills, resources and priorities of law enforcement agencies and our goal in hosting this webinar in partnership with INTERPOL is to encourage all countries to develop the expertise to tackle this IP crime.”

Mark Mulready, Co-President of AAPA and VP Cyber Services at Irdeto, Phill Davies, Co-President AAPA and Director of Group Anti-Piracy Partnerships at Sky, Pascal Metral, Vice President, Legal Affairs for AAPA member, Nagra/Kudelski, Avigail Gutman, VP Intelligence and Security Operations, at AAPA member, Synamedia, were joined by Wouter van Zwieten, Chief Legal Operations Officer, Worldstream to explain how the private sector can contribute to enforcement activity through training, intelligence sharing, analytical support, and support for operations. The webinar was chaired by Chris Vansteenkiste, Commissaris, Judicial Police Department - International Police Cooperation, Belgian Federal Police.

Rory Corcoran commented that: “INTERPOL is pleased to partner with AAPA, which has been a stalwart supporter of the agency for almost 10 years, in the fight against piracy. We recognise that the private sector has a great depth of knowledge and expertise which can only help law enforcement play its role and we encourage our member countries throughout the world to work with us to tackle this issue.”

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Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance 2024-2029 EU Manifesto

by AAPA • 1 October 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) publishes its first Manifesto, linked here . The document aims to recognise past efforts of EU legislators when it comes to content protection and the fight against copyright infringement, whilst admitting that more can and should be done to address this growing issue. Miruna Herovanu, Executive Director of AAPA said : " After years of laying the groundwork to combat online piracy it’s time for EU policymakers and beyond to fully acknowledge that decisive, targeted measures are needed at the European level. The rise of digital theft demands action. We call for strong political resolve to end the theft of our members' content. We're ready to support every stakeholder—law enforcement, policymakers, and industry representatives—to dismantle criminal networks and protect European consumers from harm."

AAPA ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

by AAPA • 28 May 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) has announced the appointment of Miruna Herovanu as its Executive Director. Miruna was previously the Director at the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand in Europe in charge of Intellectual Property and Competition policies. She took up her position with AAPA on 27 May 2024 and will be based in Brussels. Miruna will replace Sheila Cassells who is retiring as Executive Vice President of AAPA and will report on a day-to-day basis to the two Co-Presidents, Mark Mulready, VP of Cyber Services at Irdeto and Oliver Pribramksy, Head of IP Protection and Committees at the Deutsche Fussball Liga. She will be responsible for the implementation of the strategy agreed by AAPA members, managing relationships with law enforcement agencies such as Europol, Eurojust, INTERPOL and the European Institutions, delivery of AAPA’s Working Group goals and general management of the Alliance. Mark Mulready said that: “We are delighted to appoint someone of Miruna’s calibre and experience to become the Executive Director of AAPA. Miruna’s commitment to copyright protection is well-known. Her knowledge of the Brussels institutions and the EUIPO will stand AAPA in good stead for future policy developments. A priority will be for Miruna to work closely with AAPA members, the EUIPO and the European Institutions to deliver on, inter alia, the goals of combatting online piracy of sports and other live events recommendation.” Miruna Herovanu commented that: “My professional experience demonstrated that piracy is an ever-growing issue that eats at the heart of Europe’s most important industries. This is a golden opportunity and a new professional challenge that will help further develop my passion for and commitment to protecting copyright. Being able to work with and support industry experts and practitioners in AAPA, law enforcement, the European Institutions and other trade associations is essential to the fight against piracy. I am excited to be taking on this role.”