The Bulgarian authorities and EUROPOL are preparing a new operation to protect intellectual property.

The Cybercrime Directorate of the General Directorate of the National Police is the coordinator of an international meeting dedicated to the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the field of illegal IPTV and streaming - EMPACT OA 3.2. The organizer of the forum is the Intellectual Property Sector of the Directorate and EUROPOL. The event is held in Sofia during the period June 18-19, 2025. The Director of the Cybercrime Directorate of the General Directorate of the National Police, Senior Commissioner Vladimir Dimitrov, initiated the coordination meeting in our country, together with Alexander Velev - our national expert at EUROPOL.

"Our mission is not only to protect creators and rights holders, but also public safety and cybersecurity. Through stronger coordination, shared information and joint actions, Operation 'Kratos-2' will be a clear signal: we are united, vigilant and ready to respond," said the Director of the Cybercrime Directorate in his welcome to the participants and guests of the initiative. "What we have registered as isolated acts of copyright abuse is now increasingly associated with organized criminal schemes, distributing malware and undermining trust in digital services," he added.

The forum is attended by over 80 representatives of Bulgarian and foreign administrations, the private sector and partner services and organizations. In addition to experts from the General Directorate of the National Police, guests and lecturers from 16 law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and the executive branch and the private sector have expressed interest from the Bulgarian side.

The purpose of the initiative is to encourage communication and coordination between the participants, as well as to present the tools used in the fight against this type of crime, including encryption, geoprofiling methodologies, data analysis and their use to rationalize operations.

The latest trends and technologies from the industry's perspective are expected to be presented at the event, and experience and good practices in conducting joint investigations and specialized operations against criminal activities related to illegal IP television and illegal streaming, when they are carried out on the territory of one or more EU Member States, will be exchanged.

Preparation for a new implementation in the defense of intellectual property is a continuation of the successful efforts of our country to counter the activities of illegal streaming platforms and illegal IP television. In the operation "Kratos" conducted last year, under the leadership of the Cybercrime Directorate of the General Directorate of the National Police with the support of EUROPOL and EUROJUST, a record number of digital pirates and illegal content were stopped in the context of the major sporting events UEFA EURO 2024 and the Olympic Games.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the public and private sectors, access to over 390,000 illegal intellectual property objects and the criminal activity of the identified perpetrators was discontinued. Over 100 people were identified and arrested for participating in a network and over 560 resellers of the pirate service, distributing illegal content without the consent of the copyright holders. The operations also uncovered drugs, weapons and cryptocurrency. The damages from the neutralized criminal activity are estimated at over 3 billion euros per year.

Operation "Kratos" operates within the framework of Operational Activity 3.2 of the Priority "Crimes against Intellectual Property, Counterfeiting of Goods and Currency" on the EMPACT platform, created by the European Commission. Its continuation "Kratos-2" under the leadership of Bulgaria is a recognition for our country and an important stage for good international cooperation in efforts to ensure safety in the online space.

The event in Sofia is organized by the General Directorate of the National Police within the framework of the project "Improving Cross-Border Cooperation in the Fight against Organized Crime", funded by the Internal Security Fund 2021-2027.