NAM welcomes national intellectual property enforcement strategy

National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) president John Engler issued the following statement June 22 on the Obama Administration’s release of its National Intellectual Property (IP) Enforcement Strategy:

“Manufacturers lose billions of dollars each year due to counterfeiting and IP theft. We commend the leadership of Vice President Biden and Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) Espinel as they put forward a first-ever strategy on this critical issue. Aggressive enforcement of IP laws and regulations both here in the United States and around the world is key to U.S. global competitiveness and the success of manufacturers in the U.S. The strategy highlights the need to ensure that global supply chains are secured and protected and that IP can continue to be a driver of the U.S. economy through innovation and the creation of manufacturing jobs. One of our top priorities is to combat the growing threat of product counterfeiting and piracy around the world, especially in China. IP theft overseas continues to harm U.S. exports and negatively impact our ability to create jobs.

“The NAM strongly supported the creation of the IPEC position as part of the PRO-IP legislation in 2008, and we are pleased to see this program coming to life to strengthen interagency coordination on these critical IP issues. The NAM has created a new International IP Task Force, comprising large and small member companies working for a more effective and aggressive U.S. approach to fighting international counterfeiting and piracy. We look forward to working with the Administration as it fully implements this strategy.”   

The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation’s largest industrial trade association, representing manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing has a presence in every single congressional district providing good, high-paying jobs. For more information, visit www.nam.org.