BUYUSA.GOV -- U.S. Commercial Service

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Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!)

Growing global trade in pirated and counterfeit goods threatens America's innovation economy, the competitiveness of our leading companies and small manufacturers, and the livelihoods of their workers.
Bogus products - from CDs, DVDs, software and watches to electronic equipment, clothing, processed foods, consumer products, and auto parts - are estimated to account for up to seven percent of global trade and cost legitimate rights holders around the world billions of dollars annually.

Developed over the last year, the Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) is the most comprehensive initiative ever advanced to smash the criminal networks that traffic in fakes, stop trade in pirated and counterfeit goods at America's borders, block bogus goods around the world, and help small businesses secure and enforce their rights in overseas markets.
Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) underscores the Administration's continuing commitment to level the playing field for American businesses and workers. And it builds on the Administration's solid track record of real results in combating global piracy and counterfeiting.

To access the official U.S. Government's website featuring all the information about "STOP!", click the following link, or copy and paste in your browser the following URL:
http://www.stopfakes.gov

The Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Toolkit for Italy

Italy’ protection of intellectual property lags behind that of many other Western European countries and, despite Italian government strides to improve protection, this remains an area of concern for U.S. companies doing business in Italy.

In an effort to improve its track record, Italy has passed strong legislation aimed at curbing intellectual property rights (IPR) infringement. However, while the passage of legislation is an important step forward, many of the laws are not fully or effectively enforced. In particular, steep fines for the purchase of counterfeit goods and severe punishments for peer-to-peer file sharing are being challenged in the Italian courts…

Use the following link to download the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Toolkit for Italy
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