Press Release

Secretary Gutierrez Praises the Interagency Import Safety Action Plan

HO CHI MINH CITY—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez released the following statement on the release of the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety Action Plan delivered to President George W. Bush this afternoon.

“This Action Plan demonstrates the importance the Administration places on protecting the safety of American consumers. This plan identifies an aggressive agenda to prevent harmful products from crossing our borders and potentially reaching the marketplace. I commend Secretary Leavitt and the import safety team on their efforts to strengthen safeguards for food, toys and other products entering our country.

“The 10th recommendation of the Action Plan focuses on strengthening Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), for which the Department of Commerce is the lead agency. The Department understands that IPR enforcement is essential to the safety and protection of the American people.

“Counterfeit goods pose a threat to public safety and undermine consumer confidence in the quality of trademarked products. IPR violations result in billions of dollars of lost revenue and harm legitimate businesses and their employees. The public and private sectors must work together to prevent unsafe goods from entering the American marketplace.”

Background:
The Department of Commerce will work to expand information sharing about IPR infringement to identify and target products, manufacturers, and distributors with potential safety violations. This expansion will include private-public partnerships with organizations such as the inter-agency Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (S.T.O.P.) and the Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative as well as private industry. The Department of Commerce’s International Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator will extend its outreach and coordination activities to include agencies responsible for import safety inspections.

The Working Group was established by Executive Order on July 18, 2007, to conduct a comprehensive review of current import safety practices and determine where improvements can be made. The Working Group is chaired by the Department of Health and Human Services' Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and includes officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of State, Department of Treasury, Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Management and Budget, Office of the United States Trade Representative, Environmental Protection Agency and Consumer Product Safety Commission.

On September 10, 2007, the Working Group presented the President with a general Strategic Framework recommending actions the federal government, foreign governments and private sector can take to improve the safety of imports entering the United States. The Strategic Framework considered and addressed feedback received from the public and interested stakeholders.

On October 1, 2007, Secretary Gutierrez participated in a public meeting hosted by the Working Group. The public meeting allowed interested parties to comment in person or submit written or electronic comments.

For more information, please visit: http://www.importsafety.gov.