On January 7, the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) released its Annual Intellectual Report to Congress for 2021. The report summarizes the Trump Administration's IP enforcement strategy and policy initiatives across numerous federal agencies.
The IP Report rightly extols the constitutional basis for copyrights as well as its vitality to American prosperity:
Intellectual property is integral to our nation’s economic competitiveness and the growth of our innovative economy. For instance, copyrights are not only economically important, but a key part of our culture and society. A well-functioning copyright system is essential. The U.S. copyright system is grounded in our Constitution, and built on centuries of extensive jurisprudence, statutes and regulations.
Among other things, the IP Report recounts the Trump Administration's elevation of the IPEC within the Executive Branch:
[U]nder the leadership of President Trump and with the support of Congress, the White House Office of the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) was established as a new component agency of the Executive Office of the President and part of the National Economic Council, ensuring that in the decades to come the IPEC will be there to advise the President, coordinate policy, and advocate for American interests abroad.
The IP Report also overviews the Trump Administration's efforts through foreign trade agreements such as USMCA and other diplomacy efforts to ensure Americans' copyrighted works and other IP are better protected overseas. And the report includes appendices describing IP protection and enforcement initiatives undertaken over the last few years by Executive Branch Departments, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, as well as the U.S. Copyright Office. The Justice Department's appendix, for instance, highlights notable criminal infringement prosecutions. And the Copyright Office's appendix discusses the Section 512 Study Report that was released in May 2020.
The need for an overhaul of Section 512 is the subject of my January 12 Perspectives from FSF Scholars paper titled "Congress Should Hold Big Tech Accountable for Copyright Violations." This year, expect Free State Foundation scholars to have more to say about needed pro-IP policy actions.
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