Posts Tagged: "Victoria Espinel"

Not long after it was reported that a Chinese military unit might be responsible for a number of cyber attacks that have taken place on US infrastructure and businesses, the Obama Administration unveiled its strategy to put an end to the theft of US trade secrets by foreign governments and foreign competitors.

I am all for coherent strategies, but this seems a bit odd if you ask me. During the summer months in the last year of President Obama’s first term? Could this have anything to do with the fact that he is increasingly unable to raise campaign contributions from Wall Street and is instead nearly exclusively turning to Hollywood for donations? Frankly, even if there are broader political motives at play, it is about time that IP take on a more prominent role.

Counterfeiting is a far bigger story than loses to big companies and the associated loss of downstream economic activity. Those that support counterfeiters by buying knock-off goods are also increasingly supporting organized crime, including drug cartels, who are increasingly looking to the generous profits that can be earned and exceptionally low jail terms even if they do get caught. In fact, the largest Italian organized crime group is estimated to receive 10% of its annual $25 billion from counterfeited and pirated goods.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in cooperation with the Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC), today announced the launch of a new online database where U.S. government agencies are now posting information about the intellectual property rights (IPR) training programs they conduct around the world.

The day-long symposium included discussion of online copyright policy in the United States, specifically the impact of current copyright laws, existing and emerging techniques used to illegally distribute and obtain protected works, the extent and economic impact of infringement, and the role of emerging business models for legitimate distribution of content. During the symposium, it was announced that the Department of Commerce will issue a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) this month seeking public comment on the effectiveness of copyright law, and ultimately will issue a report which will contribute to the Administration’s domestic policy and international engagement in the area of online copyright protection.