Trade Groups Press Trump to Bolster IP Protections Within First 100 Days of Presidency
More than a dozen groups are asking President-elect Donald Trump to bolster intellectual property protections within the first 100 days of his presidency as part of a wider effort to combat counterfeit trade, they said in a Dec. 19 letter.
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"Innovation is the foundation of our economy, but criminals around the world seek to exploit the ingenuity, creativity, and reputation of American innovators across the Digital Devalue Chain of Counterfeits. Protecting American businesses and their IP against such exploitation is vital for businesses of all sizes," said the letter signed by a cross-section of groups, ranging from the fashion and toy industries to trade groups representing home appliance and vehicle suppliers. "A safe and fair marketplace -- both online and offline -- benefits manufacturers, consumers, and our national security."
The groups are asking that Trump nominate and confirm White House officials to protect and enforce IP rights, including an undersecretary of commerce for IP, a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director and an IP enforcement coordinator to oversee policy throughout Trump's administration.
The groups are also seeking that CBP designate IP rights as a priority trade issue, and they want an interagency working group to convene within the first 100 days of Trump's presidency to address the trafficking of counterfeits and IP infringement. They also want Trump to support the passage of the Shop Safe Act, which they say would incentivize e-commerce platforms to improve their systems to detect and prevent the sale of counterfeit products.
Taking action to protect intellectual property would build upon the 2019 Memorandum on Combating Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods, which Trump issued during his first term as president, according to the groups. They also are pressing him to implement recommendations that came out in a 2020 report following the 2019 memorandum.
The 15 groups signing the letter were the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the American Apparel and Footwear Association, the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation, the Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council, the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, MEMA -- The Vehicle Suppliers Association, the Personal Care Products Council, Sentinel Connector Systems, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC), the Toy Association, and the TIC Council, which represents independent testing, inspection and certification companies.