Attorney General Albert Gonzales writes an Op-Ed in InformationWeek about the US Govt’s efforts in curbing IP piracy. Gonzales states that IP is important to the “nation's economic security,” by fueling the national economy. IP gives “gives creators and innovators the incentive to invest their time and creativity into developing new products and services.” Particular, “the creative community - those who devote their energy and imagination to creating products that enrich our society – (are) besieged by IP theft. “ Piracy harms not only innovators, but also consumers and society, by affecting products available to them. Gonzales details the US Govt’s plans:

... the Bush Administration has launched an aggressive, ambitious, and far-reaching law enforcement effort against IP crimes and related civil misconduct. Through the Administration's Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP) initiative, the Department of Justice and eight other federal agencies have joined together to fight copyright piracy and stop counterfeit products from entering the country. At the Department of Justice, we created a Task Force on IP to evaluate our efforts to protect IP rights. In October 2004, that Task Force recommended 31 different things that the Department could do to enhance criminal, civil, and antitrust enforcement; international coordination; legislative efforts; and prevention programs.

This week, the Task Force announced that all 31 of the recommendations have been implemented. Our accomplishments include: (1) nearly doubling the number of criminal defendants charged with IP crimes; (2) increasing the number of prosecutors assigned to IP crimes; (3) deploying to Southeast Asia an IP Law Enforcement Coordinator to assist with overseas investigations and prosecutions; (4) dismantling several international criminal organizations engaged in IP theft; and (5) aggressively prosecuting IP cases that threaten public health and safety. We also have helped victims of IP theft understand how to report IP crimes, and we have partnered with Court TV, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and several non-profit organizations, to develop an extensive educational program to promote respect for IP rights.

posted by Noel Le @ 12:30 PM | Counterfeit, Patents

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