Intellectual Property Protection
The Office of International Intellectual Property Enforcement promotes American and global innovation by advocating for the effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) around the world. The team works closely with economic officers at the Department’s embassies, consulates, and missions to ensure that the interests of American rights holders are represented overseas. The Intellectual Property Enforcement Office negotiates with international organizations, oversees the distribution of training and technical assistance funds to help developing countries build IPR law enforcement capacity, and undertakes public diplomacy programs to generate awareness of the importance of IPR protection in the global economy.
From California’s Silicon Valley to Texas’s Clean Energy Incubator and the Biotech Beltway around Washington, D.C., the United States is the world leader in innovative products and services. American companies, workers, researchers, scientists, entertainers, and entrepreneurs have a right to benefit from their inventions and creative products. This is why fair innovation policies around the world and robust laws and enforcement measures to protect intellectual property (IP) are priorities for all of us—business, labor, academia, and government. IP theft hurts everyone. Movies, music, software, and fashion are all targets for counterfeiters. Counterfeit products resulting from IP theft include fake pharmaceuticals, automotive brakes and tires, and even fake airplane parts. The value of American IP is estimated at over $5 trillion—unchecked IP theft threatens America’s economic security.
Related Links:
Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs