The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), through the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights, and with the support of the Spanish National Police, organised the ‘IP OSINT Tools Workshop’ in Gran Canaria, Spain, from 3 to 5 March 2026.

The initiative aimed to promote the use of ‘OSINT’ tools to combat online piracy, counterfeiting and other types of cybercrime as well as to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against intellectual property crime.

OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) refers to the collection and analysis of publicly available information, including online publications, blogs, social media platforms, websites and public records. OSINT tools play a crucial role in detecting and enforcing intellectual property (IP) rights in the digital environment.

Throughout the three-day workshop, law enforcement authorities specialising in IP investigations from several EU Member States received hands-on training in IP-focused OSINT tools. These tools support the detection of possible online infringements, market surveillance (to identify where and how counterfeits or pirated goods are being sold), network analysis (to uncover the criminal structures behind these illicit activities) and evidence gathering to support legal proceedings, among other applications.

This workshop, organised under the ‘TIDE-IP’ initiative (Tools for the Identification, Detection and Enhanced Analysis of IP infringement), is part of the EUIPO’s strategic project ‘Leveraging AI for Enforcement’, which promotes the use of advanced digital tools to identify, detect and investigate IP infringements more effectively. This activity directly supports the implementation of the IP Operational Action Plan led by the EUIPO and co-led by Spain within the 2026–2029 EMPACT cycle.

The European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) tackles the most significant threats to the EU posed by organised and serious international crime. Intellectual property crime is a recognised priority area for the 2026–2029 EMPACT cycle, requiring reinforced coordination, capacity‑building and operational preparedness among Member States.

Source：EUIPO hosts tools workshop to fight intellectual property crime - EUIPO