I'm afraid I don't see how intellectual property relates to homeland security as the people understand it. It seems to me that the American people might be better served if IP rights were lessened in duration and strength, as important new drugs could be delivered to more people sooner, while profits would still be made through increased quantities.
We had the honor of being joined at the launch event by Secretary Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Gutierrez. They each addressed the important role this new facility will play in safeguarding intellectual property rights (IPR). The president and CEO of Underwriters Laboratories, Keith Williams, also shared his perspective on the significance of this new facility to the private sector.
The opening of this facility represents a major step forward in the United States’ effort to safeguard intellectual property rights and to target criminals who violate those rights. It gives us the tools we need to build the productive partnerships with both the private sector and with governments and law enforcement agencies here at home and abroad.
The violation of IPR is a serious and growing threat to America’s national and economic security. The United States is home to some of the world’s most innovative and creative industries – industries that are consistently leading the way in developing new and better products to meet the demands of consumers around the world.
Whether it’s life-saving medicines and vaccines, state of the art technologies, products for the office or the home, or the creative output of American movie and recording studios, the output of American ingenuity is increasingly the target of larger, more sophisticated, and more complex counterfeiting and piracy schemes.
The cost to our economy of intellectual property theft is estimated to reach $250 billion a year, robbing as many as 750,000 jobs from American workers. Worldwide, it is estimated that as much as 8 percent of all the goods and merchandise sold is counterfeit.
This illegal activity not only poses an economic threat, it also threatens the health and safety of the American people. From tainted toothpaste to adulterated dog food, we’ve seen how substandard or tainted products that illegally carry the name of trusted products put consumers at risk.
The challenge we face in turning back the tide is enormous – and this new facility is designed to meet that challenge. The people staffing this facility are committed to building partnerships among all those who share the long-range goal of putting counterfeiters and pirates out of business.
We are establishing what I think of as “mission control” for IPR protection, a place designed to foster information sharing, partnership building, and cooperative effort in pursuit of a common goal.
Using the highly successful task force model, our new facility will promote close cooperation and coordination among federal agencies and among field offices, clarifying areas of responsibility and lines of authority, eliminating duplication of effort, and promoting best practices.
This facility will also give our law enforcement counterparts in state and local governments and internationally a single point of contact for IPR investigations and enforcement. It will serve the same purpose for the private sector, helping us build truly productive partnerships.
As the Center’s lead federal agency, ICE is excited about this new facility’s ability to improve and expand the federal government’s effort to protect the intellectual property rights of American business and industry and, by doing so, protect the health and safety of the American people and the strength of the American economy.
This Center holds great promise and I am convinced it will meet and likely exceed our expectations for it. As impressive as this new facility is, however, its true potential is in its people. We are fortunate that the people who are staffing the Center are dedicated, capable professionals who see their job as a mission – a mission they will use all of their skill, ability, experience, and expertise to fulfill.
I look forward, in the months ahead, to sharing with the readers of this journal some of the many successes I know this new facility will help make possible.
Julie L. Myers Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
2 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formthanks for informations.
July 16, 2008 11:09 AM
I'm afraid I don't see how intellectual property relates to homeland security as the people understand it. It seems to me that the American people might be better served if IP rights were lessened in duration and strength, as important new drugs could be delivered to more people sooner, while profits would still be made through increased quantities.
August 28, 2008 7:58 PM