ENFORCEMENT
eop_ipec_jointstrategicplan_hi-res
eop_ipec_jointstrategicplan_hi-res
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Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator<br />
protection and enforcement for the designated<br />
country or region, including making resource<br />
allocations as appropriate, for carrying out their<br />
international engagements through capacitybuilding,<br />
cooperation and information sharing,<br />
and other means.<br />
exports support U.S. business and higher-paying jobs.<br />
In order to support exports, our trade policy promotes<br />
open markets and a fair, level playing field for trade.<br />
Our trade policy must also promote high standards that<br />
ACTION NO. 4.6: Enhance opportunities for<br />
information sharing with foreign governments.<br />
The U.S. Interagency Strategic Planning<br />
Committees on IP Enforcement, in consultation<br />
with such other agencies and offices as may be<br />
appropriate, will coordinate as appropriate to<br />
identify areas in which prospective sharing of<br />
information between the United States and a<br />
foreign government that is not currently underway<br />
may materially enhance the Federal Government’s<br />
ability to enforce U.S. IPR domestically and abroad.<br />
One prominent study found that if IPR protection<br />
in China were improved to a level comparable<br />
to the United States, U.S. net employment<br />
may increase by 2.1 million jobs and American<br />
companies would benefit from an estimated $107<br />
billion in additional annual sales.<br />
Source: U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION,<br />
Report on China and the Effects of Intellectual Property<br />
and Indigenous Innovation Policies on the U.S. Economy<br />
(Investigation No. 332-519)<br />
C. PROMOTE <strong>ENFORCEMENT</strong> OF U.S.<br />
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS THROUGH<br />
TRADE POLICY TOOLS.<br />
America’s trade policy has a significant impact on the<br />
strength and growth of the U.S. economy and the<br />
livelihood of millions of Americans. Ninety-five percent<br />
of the world’s consumers live outside U.S. borders. Our<br />
Made-in-America products and services are in demand,<br />
making American exports a vital pillar of our 21st<br />
century economy.<br />
Exports play an indispensable role as a driver of<br />
the U.S. economy. In 2015, the U.S. realized a record in<br />
volume of American exports for the fifth year in a row,<br />
selling $2.34 trillion in goods and services abroad. 21<br />
When taking a closer look at the nature of U.S. exports,<br />
we see that intellectual property (IP) intensive industries<br />
account for approximately $842 billion (in 2014), or more<br />
than 50 percent of total U.S. merchandise exports. 22 Our<br />
exports, as well as our domestic economy, are fueled<br />
by the technological innovation and output from our<br />
creative sectors. From household brands to the music<br />
and movies that inspire us, and the technologies and<br />
innovation we rely on each day, American ingenuity<br />
serves as a foundation upon which we grow our economy<br />
and contribute to the world around us. Protection of the<br />
intellectual property rights behind these exports remain<br />
an important U.S. Government priority.<br />
As discussed in greater detail in Section I, these<br />
support the rule of law and our country’s values.<br />
Illicit IP-related activity—in addition to undermining<br />
opportunities in the marketplace—imposes significant<br />
negative social costs. As noted throughout this<br />
Strategic Plan, trade in counterfeit goods, for example,<br />
introduces significant risks into global supply chains,<br />
subverts human rights (by reliance on forced labor, child<br />
labor, or sweatshop-like working conditions), threatens<br />
individual health by causing or failing to treat serious<br />
illnesses, and can generate environmental disasters by<br />
way of unregulated manufacturing conditions or use of<br />
unregulated products, all the while proceeds of illicit<br />
trade flow to criminal syndicates who undermine rule of<br />
law in a variety of ways. 23<br />
These threats and abuses of the rule of law are<br />
not limited to, or self-contained within, developed<br />
economies. It must not be overlooked that the attendant<br />
harms associated with illicit trade are often felt by<br />
FIG. 61: A Worldwide Issue, With Disproportionate<br />
Geographic Impact<br />
Percentage of<br />
counterfeit drugs:<br />
between 20% and 30%<br />
between 10% and 20%<br />
between 1% and 10%<br />
less than 1%<br />
Source: European Commission, at http://ec.europa.eu/<br />
internal_market/indprop/docs/conf2008/wilfried_roge_en.pdf.<br />
SECTION 4<br />
131