U.S. intellectual property plan launched

U.S. intellectual property plan launched    The Obama administration on Tuesday announced its Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement, highlighting the need to safeguard U.S. intellectual property as a way to protect American jobs and exports.
   The plan calls for the United States to dedicate resources and expertise to make intellectual property enforcement effective, the administration said.
   Under the plan, the administration will:
   ' Make sure the federal government does not buy or use illegal products, including ensuring that government procurement is secured against the infiltration of counterfeit parts.
   ' Offer transparency in how the U.S. government will develop and implement policies, and how to report and share information at home and abroad.
   ' Ensure coordination of law enforcement across federal, state and local levels.
   ' Enforce U.S. rights internationally by combating foreign-based Web sites and other entities that violate U.S. intellectual property rights.
   ' Secure the U.S. supply chain to stop illegal products from entering the country by ensuring that law enforcement has authorities that it needs, by encouraging voluntary cooperation by the private sector to reduce infringement occurring, and by vigorously investigating and prosecuting criminal activity.
   ' Collect good data, such as analyzing jobs and exports that are generated by intellectual property-intensive industries to help drive future decisions and action, and to build an open and fair environment for American intellectual property rights holders.
   This new initiative will join existing intellectual property rights measures already used by the administration and federal government. For example, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's publication of the 'Special 301 Report' has for more than 20 years focused on the global state of intellectual property rights protection and enforcement.
   Under the Obama administration, USTR has also completed two 'Out-of-Cycle Reviews,' one for Israel, which will lead to enhanced protection of data submitted by pharmaceutical companies to obtain marketing approval in Israel, and to improvements to Israel's patent regime. The second review, for Saudi Arabia, resulted in enhanced protection of pharmaceuticals and improved enforcement of copyrights in that country.   
   In April, in part due to USTR-led action, Mexico passed a law expanding ex officio authority in connection with intellectual property rights enforcement. This was followed in May by the Philippines enacting a law to strengthen enforcement against illegal camcording in movie theaters. ' Chris Gillis