IP Commission Recommends Policies to Protect Americans from Theft

On March 15, the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property released its 2021 review report containing policy recommendations for strengthening protections for American intellectual property from theft by China and pirates in other foreign nations. As the IP Commission's report points out, "IP-intensive industries support more than 45 million U.S. jobs," but IP theft inflicts on the U.S. economy hundreds of billions in annual losses as well as reduced investment and innovation. The report's policy recommendations include statutory authorization for the Secretary of Commerce to be the principal officer on all aspects of IP protection as well as authorization for the U.S. Trade Representative to develop and implement a national IP protection strategy and coordinate interagency efforts. It also recommends that U.S. policy make it a goal to delegitimize communist Chinese business efforts that are dependent on IP theft. Without staking definitive positions here on the report's recommendations, suffice to say they deserve careful consideration. Additionally, the IP Commission released a backgrounder that describes recent and ongoing legislative efforts to strengthen American IP protections. 

As mentioned in previous blog posts, the IP Commission has issued important reports that highlight the massive economic losses and harms suffered by U.S. innovators and our economy due to theft of copyrighted works, patented inventions, and other forms of IP. The 117th Congress and federal agencies must make protection of American IP for foreign bad actors in communist China and other nations.