Department of Commerce Head Discusses IP Enforcement and Education
The International Intellectual Property Institute and the Congressional Caucus for Intellectual Property hosted Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez today at a breakfast meeting to discuss the Bush Administration’s efforts to promote intellectual property education and enforcement.
Secretary Gutierrez has worked closely with President Bush and the rest of the Bush Administration to take steps necessary to protect U.S. intellectual property rights from piracy and counterfeiting. According to the Secretary and recent statistics, the United States experienced a loss of $250 billion, the equivalent of 750,000 jobs, due to worldwide piracy and counterfeiting. The number has reached $600 billion worldwide, a large portion of which China is responsible for.
Following brief introductory remarks by Representatives Tom Feeney and Mary Bono on behalf of the House Caucus on Intellectual Property, Secretary of Commerce Gutierrez addressed an audience that included prominent Congressional members Marsha Blackburn, Steve Chabot, Howard Coble, Joseph Crowley, Lamar Smith, John Schwartz, and Diane Watson; and the Honorable Jon Dudas, Commissioner of Patent and Trademarks at the USPTO. Secretary Gutierrez outlined the recent actions the Administration has taken to combat the increasing numbers of pirated US products, including reaching new IP enforcement agreements at the recent G8 summit. After the Secretary’s talk, Representative Tom Feeney initiated a question and answer session for further discussion of key IP issues.