For Immediate Release

February 10, 2005

Contact: Patricia Judd
Ph: 202-220-4541
Email: pjudd@publishers.org

Publishers Join with Other Copyright Industries in Outlining International Trade Priorities

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) will join with fellow members of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) tomorrow in submitting a report to the U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Robert Zoellick, outlining the U.S. copyright industries’ global priorities for 2005 and identifying the most serious copyright piracy and market access problems around the world.

IIPA’s review and recommendations on 67 countries and territories worldwide are undertaken to assist the Office of the USTR in carrying out its mandate under the “Special 301” provision of the Trade Act of 1974, to identify foreign countries where abuses of U.S. intellectual property rights are particularly egregious. Through the IIPA, the AAP provides data on copyright piracy affecting American books and journals and market access problems faced by U.S. publishers around the world. In this year’s review, IIPA makes ranking recommendations on 42 countries while including 23 more in a “special mention” section calling for attention by the U.S. government. Finally, the report designates two countries—Jordan and Singapore—for which dispute resolution under bilateral free trade agreements might be appropriate if outstanding issues are not corrected soon.

In the report, the IIPA calls for designation of three countries—Pakistan, Russia and Ukraine— as “Priority Foreign Countries,” indicating the most flagrant violations of U.S. intellectual property rights. These recommendations are due, in part, to rampant print piracy and illegal photocopying of books, with little effort on the part of these governments to enforce copyright laws.

The report suggests placement of 15 countries on the Priority Watch List, including, among others, the People’s Republic of China, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand, all of which are of special concern for U.S. publishers. Furthermore, the IIPA called for immediate request for consultations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding China’s failure to properly address piracy, as well as an out-of-cycle review to be concluded in the summer, leading to consideration of further appropriate multilateral and bilateral action, including the possible establishment of a dispute settlement panel.

Among the 23 countries recommended for the Watch List are Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and Turkey—again, particularly troublesome areas for publishers.

In addition to the summer 2005 review suggested for China, the IIPA recommended that the U.S. government undertake two other out-of-cycle reviews—for Malaysia and the Philippines. These reviews will give the U.S. government an opportunity to follow up on recommendations made during the regular Special 301 cycle and ensure progress and/or continuing compliance. All of these reviews will take into consideration enforcement against book piracy and illegal photocopying.

AAP President Pat Schroeder noted, “The U.S. publishing industry estimates losses in 2004 of over $600 million dollars in these territories alone. Rampant commercial photocopying and print piracy are decimating markets for both local and foreign book and journal publishers in many areas throughout the world. The Special 301 process gives us a valuable opportunity to assess the difficulties we’ve encountered in the previous year, measure our progress, and designate our global priorities.

“It is important to note that book piracy and illegal photocopying have a terribly negative impact, not just on U.S industry, but on local scholars, writers, publishers, printers and distributors, not to mention local economies in general. Thus, we are hopeful that countries designated in this report can see its contents as suggestions for their benefit as well as the welfare of U.S. companies doing business abroad.

“As we move into an environment increasingly affected by the internet, it is important that enforcement mechanisms worldwide keep up with technological developments and protect our works in all forms. At the same time, we must remember that piracy of physical goods such as books and journals continues and remains the principal threat to the book publishing industry in most areas of the world. Technological advances, while benefiting legitimate industry players, also serve across the board to make it easier for pirates—in physical as well as electronic media.”

Schroeder praised the U.S. government’s efforts to date, stating, “The U.S. government has been a consistent ally in protecting overseas markets for U.S. companies generally and the book publishing industry in particular. We commend the efforts of USTR and the other agencies in striving constantly to bring down the terrible barriers created by piracy and market access restrictions. We hope our recommendations in this year’s report will help to them in their efforts to continue to strengthen intellectual property protection and enforcement around the world.”

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry, including most of the major commercial book publishers in the United States as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses, and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, at home and abroad, is among the Association’s top priorities.

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