| Policy > External Affairs > Notable Quotes |
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President George W. Bush |
“In order to keep this economy innovative and entrepreneurial, it’s important for us to enforce law, and if the laws are weak, pass new laws, to make sure that the problem of counterfeiting, which has been growing rapidly, is arrested, is held in check.”
“Counterfeiting costs our country hundreds of billion dollars a year. It has got a lot of harmful effects in our economy. Counterfeiting hurts workers, because counterfeiting undercuts honest competition, rewards illegal competitors. Counterfeiting hurts our – counterfeiting hurts consumers, as fake products expose our people to serious health and safety risks. Counterfeiting hurts the government. We lose out on tax revenue. We have to use our resources for law – of law enforcement to stop counterfeiting. Counterfeiting hurts national security, as terrorist networks use counterfeit sales to sometimes finance their operations.”
“This administration is leading an initiative called STOP – Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy. Nine federal agencies are coming together in this initiative, including the Department of Justice, which has launched the most aggressive effort in American history to prevent intellectual property violations. We’ve expended computer hacking and intellectual property units in U.S. Attorney’s offices all across the country. We’re posting specially trained prosecutors and FBI agents at American embassies in Asia and Easter Europe. We’re working with other nations and the World Trade Organization to promote strong intellectual property laws around the globe. We’re cooperating with the private sector to raise awareness of counterfeiting so we can help stop fraud before it starts.”
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President George W. Bush |
“We also know that American workers can compete with anybody, any time, anywhere when the rules are fair. By opening new markets, we will create more good jobs in America. By ensuring fair access for American goods and services and securing intellectual property rights, we will level the playing field for our workers, farmers, and businesses. And by working for free and fair trade, we will help deliver a better life for all Americans and advance the cause of peace and prosperity in the world.”
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Carlos Gutierrez |
“This administration is committed to helping U.S. businesses remain competitive by protecting intellectual property so that American ingenuity remains a driving force in the United States and the world’s economy.”
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Carlos Gutierrez |
“The goal of creating secure markets for IPR around the world is one of my highest priorities as Secretary of Commerce. This is an Administrative priority because we see both developed and developing economies increasingly competing on the basis of knowledge and innovation.”
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Carlos Gutierrez |
“We believe that successful 21st century economies will be those that unleash the power of private enterprise and innovation. Innovation is the most important resource in our increasingly knowledge-based economy. Global trade in pirated and counterfeit goods threatens innovation.”
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Carlos Gutierrez |
“The protection of intellectual property is vital to economic growth and global competitiveness. And it has major consequences for a country’s ability to promote security and stability. Many nations – such as China, Russia, Brazil, and India – are realizing that they cannot sustain an advanced and growing economy without protecting IPR.”
“IPR enforcement can improve your country’s economy, and the lives of your citizens. Because we believe so strongly in the value of intellectual property rights and their ability to strengthen economies, the United States is working aggressively to help countries around the world strengthen rights.”
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Michael Chertoff |
“Illicit profits from counterfeit or pirated goods are one way for criminal networks to finance their heinous activities. We are confronting counterfeiters with the full force of the law and we’re moving aggressively to seize their assets and put them out of business.”
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Alberto Gonzales |
“Intellectual property crimes have become terribly common. Counterfeit and pirated goods are too easy to access – from bootleg CDs, DVDs and games, to fake watches and sunglasses on street corners, to online file sharing. Although these crimes may appear harmless to some, the fact of the matter is that this manner of theft is one of the most damaging to our global economy.”
“Criminals who manufacture and sell fake merchandise steal business from honest merchants, defraud innocent customers, illegally profit from the hard work of employees and entrepreneurs, and undermine our shared values of competition and creativity. This underground economy costs legitimate businesses billions of dollars every year, and causes significant harm to our economies.”
“Intellectual property crime is now undeniable global in nature. The digital age has created a world without borders for large criminal conspiracies, so our law enforcement efforts must be global and borderless as well. Every member of the global economy has a responsibility to keep counterfeit goods out of the world market.”
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Alberto Gonzales |
“Our research edge in world competition suffers when American research and development budgets shrink because products are readily counterfeited.”
“A shoddy substitute will damage the reputation and profitability of a sought-after, trademarked original. Counterfeit airplane or car parts may fail, fraudulent electrical appliances may explode. And in the case of fake pharmaceuticals, such as cholesterol medication or antibiotics, patients will suffer or even die.”
“Victims of intellectual property theft and their representatives can help prevent intellectual property theft too. Victims have an important role to play by protecting their intellectual property however they can, including in the courts.”
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Alberto Gonzales |
“Intellectual property, patented inventions of all sorts, copyrighted material, trademarked goods, and trade secrets painstakingly developed is the life blood of our strong economy and the source for making it even stronger.”
“As rich American’s natural resources are, and as strong as our labor force is, it is our creativity and innovation and entrepreneurship that have been the great engine of our growth.”
“We have received some cooperation from the PRC [China] in tracking down intellectual property theft, but the fact remains that many commercial piracy cases now under investigation by federal law enforcement have a nexus to China. Accordingly, we will continue to push for the recognition of intellectual property rights by the PRC and for increased law enforcement cooperation.”
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Alberto Gonzales |
“Intellectual property crime is now undeniably global in nature. The digital age has created a borderless world for large criminal conspiracies – so our law enforcement efforts must be global and borderless as well. Every member of the global economy has a responsibility to keep counterfeit goods out of the global market.”
“In the United States, we have made the protection of intellectual property rights a law enforcement priority, and we are waging an aggressive and successful campaign against intellectual property crime on multiple fronts.”
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Condoleezza Rice |
“But while innovation will push our economies forward, a lack of fairness will hold us back. American businesses lose $200 to $250 billion a year to pirated and counterfeit goods. Innovation stimulates economic growth, but innovation will suffer without proper protection for intellectual property rights.”
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Susan Schwab |
“Americans are among the world’s greatest innovators, in no small part because of the strength of our respect for intellectual property rights in the United States.”
“In the global economy, maintaining protections for American innovators abroad is critical to advancing U.S. competitiveness. Protections of Intellectual Property by other nations is also critical to their own economic development, including promotion of indigenous innovations, creativity and access to innovations by consumers and promoters of innovation.”
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Rob Portman |
“Trade can raise living standards for millions. But a vibrant trade system must be based on fairness and trust. All countries benefit from honest commerce. All countries suffer from dishonest commerce. Today’s pirates are more clever and steal more than the bandits of the high seas from an earlier time. It is tougher to track them down and shut them down but we must succeed.”
“Of course, even as we pursue agreements to help level the playing field for U.S. businesses and workers, we also have to focus on increasingly, I believe, on compliance to make sure that the United States is enforcing the free trade agreements, WTO rights and generally our trade laws.”
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Rob Portman |
“The development of intellectual property is one of the driving forces of U.S. economic competitiveness, and we will utilize all tools at our disposal to ensure that U.S. intellectual property rights are protected.”
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