The White House has issued a joint strategic plan on intellectual property enforcement, designed as a “blueprint for the work to be carried out over the next three years by the federal government in support of a healthy and robust intellectual property enforcement policy environment.”
Key elements are to: enhance national understanding of the economic and social impacts flowing from misappropriation of trade secrets and the infringement of intellectual property rights; target counterfeiting and IP-infringing activity online; secure and facilitate lawful trade; and enhance domestic strategies and global collaboration in support of IP enforcement.
“While the plan sets the framework for work to be carried out by the federal government, it also calls on nations, industry, and other stakeholders to provide forward-thinking leadership and a collaborative approach to combatting illicit IP-based activities,” the White House announcement says.
It said the plan builds on initiatives already under way including improved collaboration and efficiency among federal agencies to leverage an all-of-government approach to IP enforcement, increased coordination among trading partners, strengthening of government-private sector collaboration and industry-led voluntary initiatives in the marketplace, and enactment of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016.