Press Release

Gutierrez Hails Appointment of U.S. Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement

Administration Presses Forward in Combating Intellectual Property Theft

WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today hailed President Bush’s appointment of the new U.S. Coordinator for International Intellectual Property (IP) Enforcement to continue the Administration’s efforts to enforce and protect IP rights around the world. The President has named Wayne B. Paugh, currently Senior Advisor and Acting Coordinator, as the next IP Enforcement Coordinator.

“Intellectual property is central to promoting the ingenuity, innovation, and creativity that drive our economy,” said Gutierrez. “IP enforcement is a high priority for the President and his Administration to ensure that American intellectual property is enforced globally and that consumers are protected from the harms of counterfeit goods. The appointment of the next IP Enforcement Coordinator demonstrates our commitment to continue to aggressively combat counterfeiting and piracy.”

As the U.S. Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement, Paugh will work with agencies across the Administration to coordinate policies and programs to enforce intellectual property rights overseas through both the Administration’s STOP! Initiative, the Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy, and the National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council. The Coordinator’s Office has an aggressive agenda for the coming months, including missions to China, Russia, India, and Brazil—the front lines in the global battle against piracy and counterfeiting.

In the President’s second term, the Administration’s increased efforts on IP enforcement have produced significant results, particularly as prosecutions of IP criminals by the Department of Justice and seizures of fake and pirated goods by the Department of Homeland Security have risen to record levels. Additionally, the Departments of State and Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative have raised the profile of our engagement with key trading partners on IP enforcement, leading to breakthrough agreements with the European Union, Mexico and Canada, and the recent multilateral negotiations of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

Paugh has served in the Bush Administration beginning in 2002 where he has helped advance the President’s agenda on intellectual property. Paugh has served in the Coordinator’s Office as Senior Advisor to Secretary Gutierrez since 2006, returning to the Commerce Department from the law firm of Venable LLP. Previously, he was the Chief of Staff and Attorney-Advisor to former Congressman and then Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office James E. Rogan from 2002-2004. Paugh has earned a B.A. and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Florida, an M.S. from the University of Miami (FL), and a J.D. from George Mason University, with an emphasis in intellectual property law.