Smith & Conyers Applaud Creation of IP Enforcement Committees

Washington, D.C.—House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.) today praised the President’s decision to establish two new advisory committees tasked with increasing protections for intellectual property. The Committees, authorized in an Executive Order signed today by President Obama, are led by the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC), a position created by Smith and Conyers’ 2007 PRO-IP Act.

Chairman Smith: “From a mousetrap in your home to an iPad in your hand, intellectual property plays an important role in our daily lives and global economy. Unfortunately, as technology has advanced, so have international counterfeiting and piracy. The theft of intellectual property costs Americans billions of dollars and thousands of jobs. By encouraging cooperation and communication between the federal agencies tasked with protecting IP, these committees can target counterfeiting trends and recommend responses. We must do more to prioritize the rights of America’s innovators and protect our valuable intellectual property. Today’s announcement is a good start.”

Ranking Member Conyers: “As we look critically for new ways to create jobs in our country, President Obama’s actions represent a vital and positive step forward on the road to real economic recovery.  The goal of the PRO-IP Act was to encourage the coordination of intellectual property policy at the highest levels of our government, and I am glad to see the President’s executive order help effectuate that goal.  IP-intensive industries are crucial to American economic growth. Counterfeits of U.S. goods replace legitimate exports and cost American jobs. We hope these committees implement an effective plan to protect consumers and spur innovation.”

The “Senior Advisory Committee” is cabinet-level and includes the heads or deputies of the Departments of Justice, State, Treasury, Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Trade Representative.   The “Enforcement Advisory Committee” includes representatives from the departments and agencies involved in intellectual property enforcement. 

For more information about the committees created today by President Obama, please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/executive-orders