CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CRIMES AGAINST INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS UNDER THE LEGISLATION OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The article is devoted to the issues of criminal law ensuring the protection of intellectual property in some European countries. The author explores the European legislation on responsibility for violation of intellectual rights. Special attention is paid to the structure of legal regulation of criminal liability for these offenses. Active integration of Latvia into the world community, joining the World Trade Organization, joining the relevant international agreements in this regard, forces the intellectual property protection issues to be oriented towards developed European countries. When looking for positive law enforcement practice, it is necessary to analyse national legal provisions that have a wealth of experience in combating intellectual property violations and are members of the TRIPS Agreement. In this context, it seems appropriate to refer to the legislation of other European countries that have a wealth of experience in dealing with encroachments on intellectual property