IP Czar: U.S. to Go After Foreign Pirate Web Sites
U.S. President Barack Obama isn't the only government official who wants to smack down copyright infringement and counterfeiting.
During a hearing before the House of Representatives' Committee on Foreign Affairs, some congressional lawmakers on Wednesday said they want the U.S. government to retaliate against countries that turn a blind eye to online piracy, as well as people who peddle knockoffs of American products here and abroad.
The Obama administration has made copyright enforcement a priority, but Wednesday's hearing made it clear that thwarting piracy and counterfeiting has bipartisan support. The film and music industries have claimed that Web sites based overseas have cost them billions of dollars and thousands of jobs. Representatives of other industries, including companies that manufacture pharmaceuticals, car parts, clothing, medical equipment, and even golf clubs, say counterfeit goods have crippled them.
Several congressmen suggested that we block goods from entering this country from nations with poor track records of protecting U.S. intellectual property. Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) asked why we couldn't withhold visas to students and tourists from countries that are hostile to U.S. copyrights.
The Foreign Relations Committee convened, in part, to hear how Victoria Espinel, the U.S. intellectual property enforcement coordinator, intended to protect the country's intellectual property from theft in other countries. Some committee members made it clear that they didn't like what they heard--or, more to the point, what they didn't hear.