RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC — The fiscal 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, recently approved by Congress on Nov. 20, will help strengthen the country’s stance against intellectual property rights (IPR) violations with the creation of a new federal post to coordinate federal anti-IPR theft efforts.
Broad industry support for stronger intellectual property enforcement abroad resulted in the creation of a new Intellectual Property (IP) czar post, which will be appointed by the president. The new IP czar will serve as coordinator for international intellectual property enforcement and lead the National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council (NIPLECC).
Currently, NIPLECC coordinates domestic and international intellectual property enforcement. It is co-chaired by Jon Dudas, director of the Patent and Trademark Office, and Christopher Wray, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s criminal division. The deputy U.S. trade representative, customs commissioner, commerce undersecretary for international trade, and state undersecretary for economic and agricultural affairs also are council members.
In a press release issued earlier this week, the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), said it welcomed the announcement.
“Trade in counterfeit automotive products is costing our companies billions of dollars per year on a global basis, and poor quality counterfeit brakes, tires, glass and other products are a hazard to the public,” said Paul Foley, vice president of MEMA and head of MEMA’s Brand Protection Council. “We will follow this appointment closely and look forward to working with the new IP czar.”
MEMA worked closely with Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.) and his staff to draft and advance this request and also garnered additional support for this issue from Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.).
According to the Federal Trade Commission, counterfeiting costs the global automotive parts industry $12 billion a year; $3 billion of that total is in the United States. MEMA believes these numbers are very conservative and the cost to American companies and American jobs is much worse, Foley noted.
The omnibus spending bill (H.R. 4818), which sets the federal budget for fiscal year 2005, also included funding for two new positions at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance. These new positions at NHTSA will be dedicated to enforcement actions against noncompliant vehicle products.
The omnibus bill also extends funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a federal-state-private network that works with small and medium-sized manufacturers to help them adopt and use the latest and most efficient technologies, processes and business practices. MEP will receive $109 million, an increase of $69.4 million over the administration’s budget request and the amount necessary to keep all MEP centers open.
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