Officials from Cambodia, Laos and the United States gathered in Phnom Penh yesterday for a training program on the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights.

Hosted by representatives from the US Department of State, US Department of Homeland Security and US Patent and Trademark Office, the three-day event at the Hotel le Royal in Phnom Penh will focus on investigation techniques to crack down on intellectual property theft.

“While we all benefit from state-of-the-art products and services, the degree of intellectual property theft is equally as sophisticated,” US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, Jeff Daigle, said.

Cambodia is stepping up it’s commitment to battle IP theft, said Minister of Commerce Sun Chanthol, who pointed to a draft sub-decree laying out the duties of all agencies tasked with enforcement. A special government task force is also being established to battle pirated CDs and DVDs, Chanthol added.