Within the US Government, besides the USPTO, the following substantive intellectual property, trade and enforcement agencies all play a role in domestic and international intellectual property enforcement activities.
The US Copyright Office administers the US copyright law and provides assistance to Congress on intellectual property matters including assistance concerning international copyright agreements. The US Copyright Office also advises Congress on anticipated changes in US copyright law, analyzes and assists in drafting of copyright legislation and legislative reports, and provides technical assistance to other countries in developing their own copyright laws.
The US Department of Justice develops, enforces and supervises the application of all US federal criminal laws, including those dealing with intellectual property rights. Further, the US Department of Justice provides assistance in coordinating international as well as federal, state, and local law enforcement matters.
The U. S. Customs and Border Protection is responsible for combating the flow of infringing goods into the United States. It has statutory authority to decide substantive issues of trademark and copyright infringement, and also works with the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on domestic intellectual property matters.
The Office of the US Trade Representative is responsible for developing and coordinating US international trade, commodity and direct investment policy and leads negotiations with other countries in these matters. It also provides trade policy leadership and negotiating expertise in its major areas of responsibility including matters relating to trade-related intellectual property protection.
The US Department of Commerce provides practical information, including information relating to intellectual property protection to help US businesses select domestic and international markets for their products. This agency also monitors, investigates and evaluates foreign compliance with more than 200 recent trade agreements, including TRIPS, the trade-related agreement on intellectual property.