Washington, D.C. – The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today welcomed the release of the Joint Strategic Plan by the Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator. This Plan is a product of an intensive effort by the Obama Administration to ensure that the works of American creators and innovators are protected from infringement and misappropriation. USTR pursues this agenda on a global scale.
“The United States is the world’s most innovative economy, with new ideas and creative industries employing tens of millions of hard-working Americans. It is essential that we protect those jobs and industries with strong, effective enforcement of intellectual property rights,” said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. “The Obama Administration has been relentless in our efforts to strengthen intellectual property protections. In negotiating U.S. trade agreements, in our work at the World Trade Organization, in bilateral engagement with our trading partners, and more, we have made the United States a better place to create, invent, and produce new ideas and products. The Joint Strategic Plan released today will further advance our ability to ensure that U.S. creators and innovators have the opportunity to succeed around the globe.”
Trademarks, copyright, patents, and trade secrets play a crucial role in America's global competitiveness. IP-intensive industries directly account for 27.9 million high-paying jobs and indirectly support 17.6 million more. As the Joint Strategic Plan makes clear, the U.S. will continue to pursue high global standards in protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
