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Thursday Jun 20, 2013

USPTO Implementation of the 2013 Joint Strategic Plan for Intellectual Property Enforcement

Blog by Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the USPTO Teresa Stanek Rea

Today heralds the official release of the Obama Administration’s 2013 Joint Strategic Plan for Intellectual Property Enforcement. Since the inaugural release of the strategy in 2010, the Administration has made significant accomplishments in the area of intellectual property enforcement. This includes legislation that updates and strengthens laws and stepped up enforcement against those infringers who threaten the vitality of the U.S. economy and the health and safety of the American people.

As part of the strategic plan, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is seeking feedback on private sector efforts to reduce online infringement through the development and implementation of cooperative, voluntary initiatives. Today a request for public comments was published in the Federal Register seeking input from all interested parties on the processes, data metrics, and methodologies that could be used to assess the effectiveness of cooperative agreements and other voluntary initiatives to reduce infringement.

This year’s strategic plan sets out the Administration’s overall vision for intellectual property enforcement for the next three years and serves as a roadmap for agency-specific activities necessary to achieve that vision. The USPTO plays a key role in the effort by promoting effective IP protection for U.S. innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide, securing stronger IP provisions in free trade and other international agreements, fostering respect for IP, and encouraging the development of strong IP enforcement regimes by U.S. trading partners.
  
Since the 2010 Joint Strategic Plan, the USPTO has promoted stronger and more effective intellectual property protection domestically and around the world. Our achievements include technical assistance to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) during negotiations and implementation phases of the Intellectual Property Rights provisions contained in several free trade agreements, and launch of a website for federal, state and local prosecutors to request copies of trademark registration certificates to use in litigation. We’ve published several studies related to IP and enforcement, such as Intellectual Property and the U.S. Economy, Specialized Intellectual Property Courts, and Counterfeit Hard Goods and the Public’s Health and Safety.

Additionally, through the USPTO’s IPR Attaché Program, our IP attachés actively work to improve the protection and enforcement of U.S. intellectual property rights overseas. Through our Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA), the USPTO offers capacity-building programs in the United States and around the world on intellectual property protection, enforcement, and capitalization. 

Building upon these accomplishments, the USPTO is committed to improving the effectiveness of our personnel stationed abroad and we are examining the feasibility of placing attachés in other key countries. We also continue to support U.S. small and medium-size enterprises in foreign markets through expanded outreach efforts, and we encourage voluntary initiatives to reduce online intellectual property infringement and illegal internet pharmacies.

The USPTO is pleased to participate in implementing action items listed in the 2013 Joint Strategic Plan and advancing policy initiatives necessary to strengthen IP enforcement.

Comments:

Dear Acting Director Rea, I am glad to see that the capacity-building programs in the US and around the world via GIPA are underlined in your statement of the 2013 Joint Strategic Plan. I think this role of USPTO should be strongly maintained as a leader of world IP, which provides the US with a good source of leading power. Neither the Sequester nor other minor obstacles should be any blocsfor these programs. I respectfully and strongly recommend reconsidering the recent policy changes to reduce GIPA's support for the international cooperative training programs. I am sure this type of training supports could be a one of the best policies of USPTO.

Posted by Paul T. Lee on June 20, 2013 at 01:15 PM EDT #

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