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March 13, 2019
Members of the 116th Congress:
It is an exciting time for America, particularly in the knowledge-based economy. American entrepreneurship, ingenuity and creativity lead the world, and we believe that intellectual property (IP) rights are a key ingredient to American competitiveness.
The undersigned organizations represent millions of Americans through both state and national advocacy or engage in rigorous research and educational work on intellectual property rights. We would like to share with you the following information and guidelines that our respective organizations look to when we consider our strong support for intellectual property rights.
Intellectual Property Rights Are Grounded in the Constitution
The Founding Fathers recognized the importance of IP in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution: “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.”
This clause, articulated by the founders, is rooted in the notion that the best way to encourage creation and dissemination of new inventions and creative works to the benefit of both the public good and individual liberty is to recognize one’s right to his or her intellectual property.
Intellectual Property Rights Are a Fundamental Property Right Deserving the Same Respect as Physical Property
James Madison elaborated on this provision of the Constitution in Federalist Paper #43: With regard to intellectual property, as with all property rights protected in the common law, “[t]he public good fully coincides … with the claims of individuals.”
IP rights are not regulations—they are property rights that, when combined with the freedom to contract, facilitate markets. Governmental limitations and restrictions on property rights cause friction in the function of markets. IP owners have the same right as all property owners to sell or license their products and services in the market free of express or implicit price controls so they can recoup their investments and support their professional careers.
No one would say that the right to keep people out of your home is a regulation: it is a right of ownership. It is the limitations on the use and sale of one’s property that are regulations and controls.
Intellectual Property Rights Promote Free Speech and Expression
Strong IP rights go hand-in-hand with free speech as creators vigorously defend their ability to create works of their choosing, free from censorship.
By affording innovators and creators the ability to support themselves, IP rights promote free expression unencumbered by government.
Intellectual Property Rights are Vital to Job Growth & Economic Competitiveness
IP rights create jobs and fuel economic growth, turning intangible assets into exclusive property that can be traded in the marketplace.
The most recent report on IP-related jobs in the U.S., by the Department of Commerce and the Patent and Trademark Office,1 found that in 2014, direct employment in the most IP intensive industries accounted for 27.9 million jobs. Indirect activities associated with those industries provided an additional 17.6 million jobs, for a total of 45.5 million jobs, or 30 percent of all jobs in the economy.
The report also found that IP-intensive industries added $6.6 trillion to the value of GDP in 2014, equal to 38.2 percent of total GDP. In a knowledge-
based global economy, America’s ability to remain a world leader in creativity and innovation depends on strong protection of IP.
Intellectual Property Rights Must Be Protected Internationally Through Effective IP Provisions in Trade Agreements
Far too many foreign governments look the other way when it comes to the theft of IP. State-sanctioned IP theft from other countries costs the U.S. economy more than $320 billion annually.2
By harmonizing and strengthening IP standards, Congress and the Administration incentivize creativity, innovation and investment here
at home. Moreover, strong IP provisions in trade agreements allow local innovative and creative industries to flourish. Therefore, strong IP protections are integral to all trade agreement negotiations.
Intellectual Property Rights Are Integral to Consumer Protection and National Security
IP rights protect consumers by enabling them to make educated choices about the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of their purchases. In 2017, consumer electronics and parts represented 12 percent of total counterfeit goods seized, presenting a dangerous risk to American consumers if those products malfunction.3
Illegal intangible goods are also dangerous. One-third of websites offering stolen movies and television shows were found to contain malware, putting consumers at risk of identity theft, credit card fraud, and more.4
The ease of doing business online has also led to an increase in the number of sites selling illegal products. In 2017, the U.S. coordinated actions with 26 other countries to take down a record 1.21 million domain names and shutdown 2.2 million links to online marketplaces that sold counterfeit and copyright infringing products.5
The protection of IP rights is also vital to national security to prevent counterfeit parts, which compromise the reliability of weapons systems and the safety of military personnel, from entering the defense supply chain. A May 21, 2012 Senate Armed Services Committee report revealed 1,800 cases of counterfeiting, involving more than 1 million parts.6
Intellectual Property Rights Must Be Respected and Protected on the Internet
The internet is an incredible platform for innovation, creativity and commerce enabling widespread distribution of ideas and information. However, IP theft online is a persistent and growing problem. For example, between 2001 and 2015, U.S. recorded music revenues fell from $14 billion to $7 billion—losses largely attributed to online theft.7
Protecting IP and internet freedom are both critically important and complementary—they are not mutually exclusive. A truly free internet, like any truly free community, is one where people can engage in legitimate activities safely, and where bad actors are held accountable.
Voluntary Initiatives to Address Intellectual Property Theft Are Positive
Good faith actors in the internet ecosystem should engage in private sector, voluntary initiatives to address illegal conduct. These voluntary efforts can empower consumers to make educated decisions about their online activities and encourage creativity, innovation, investment and jobs.
We encourage you to consider these guidelines as you review and
discuss existing laws and regulations governing IP. The Founding Fathers understood that by protecting the proprietary rights of artists, authors, entrepreneurs, innovators, and inventors, they were promoting the greater public welfare. The continued protection of these fundamental rights is essential to American innovation and competitiveness.
1 https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/IPandtheUSEconomySept2016.pdf
2 http://www.ipcommission.org/report/IP Commission Report 052213.pdf
3 https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2018-Apr/ipr-seizure-stats-fy2017.pdf
4 https://media.gractions.com/314A5A5A9ABBBBC5E3BD824CF47C46EF4B9D3A76/0f03d298-aedf-49a5-84dc-9bf6a27d91ff.pdf
5 https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/over-million-websites-seized-global-operation
6 http://www.armed-services.senate.gov/press-releases/senate-armed-services-committee-releases-report-on-counterfeit-electronic-parts
7 https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/05/02/how-google-killed-the-music-industry-in-3-easy-diagrams/music industry revenues 2015 mic
Saulius “Saul” Anuzis
President
60 Plus Association
James L. Martin
Founder/Chairman 60 Plus Association
Dee Stewart
President
Americans for a Balanced Budget
Dick Patten
President
American Business Defense Council
Phil Kerpen
President
American Commitment
Krisztina Pusok, Ph.D.
Director of Policy Research American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research
Matt Schlapp
Chairman
American Conservative Union
Daniel Schneider
Executive Director
American Conservative Union Foundation
Chuck Muth
President Citizens Outreach
Lisa Nelson
CEO
American Legislative Exchange Council
Karla Jones
Director of International Relations American Legislative Exchange Council Action
Grover Norquist
President
Americans for Tax Reform
Rosa Mendoza
Executive Director ALLvanza
Ted Kalo
Executive Director Artists Rights Alliance
Sean O’Connor
Boeing International Professor
of Law Director
Center for Advanced Research
and Studies on Innovation Policy University of Washington School of Law
Ted Tripp
Sr. Political Reporter Boston Broadside
Nicol Turner-Lee
Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation, Governance Studies
The Brookings Institute
(Affiliation is provided for identification purposes only. The Brookings Institute does not take institutional positions)
Robert Alt
President & CEO
The Buckeye Institute
Marty Connors
Chairman
Center/Right Coalition, Alabama
Ginevra Joyce-Myers
Executive Director
Center for Innovation and Free Enterprise
Jeffrey Mazzella
President
Center for Individual Freedom
Ashley N. Baker
Director of Public Policy The Committee for Justice
James Edwards
Executive Director
Conservatives for Property Rights
Matthew Kandrach
President
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy
Tom Schatz
President
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Katie McAuliffe
Executive Director Digital Liberty
Hance Haney
Director and Senior Fellow Technology and Democracy Project Discovery Institute
Stacy Milner
Founder
The Entertainment Industry College Outreach Program
Ryan Ellis
President
Center for a Free Economy
Mike Stenhouse
CEO
Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity
Eric Feinberg
Executive Director
Fans Against Kounterfeit Enterprise
Rick Watson
Chairman
Florida Center/Right Coalition
George Landrith
President
Frontiers of Freedom
Grace-Marie Turner
President Galen Institute
Yvette Moises
President
Georgia Latino Film Festival
Joshua D. Wright
Executive Director
Global Antitrust Institute Antonin Scalia Law School George Mason University
Adam Mossoff
Professor of Law
Antonin Scalia Law School George Mason University
Carly Fiorina
Former CEO Hewlett Packard
Mario H. Lopez
President
Hispanic Leadership Fund
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
Senior Fellow Hudson Institute
Robert M. McDowell
Senior Fellow Hudson Institute
Sincerely,
Mark F. Schultz
President, Institute for IP Research Professor, Southern Illinois University School of Law
Tom Giovanetti
President
Institute for Policy Innovation
Andrew Langer
President
Institute for Liberty
Robert D. Atkinson
Founder & President Information Technology & Innovation Foundation
Carrie Lukas
President
Independent Women’s Forum
Heather R. Higgins
CEO
Independent Women’s Voice
Joseph A. Giacalone
Professor of Economics St. John’s University For Public Policy
Sal J. Nuzzo
Vice President of Policy
The James Madison Institute
Brett Healy
President
The John K. MacIver Institute
Seton Motley
President
Less Government
Bartlett D. Cleland
Managing Principal
Madery Bridge Associates, LLC
Matthew Gagnon
Chief Executive Officer Maine Heritage Policy Center
Charles Sauer
President Market Institute
Dr. Jameson Taylor
Vice Pres. for Policy
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Maurita Coley Flippin, Esq.
President & CEO Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council
Justin Ve´lez-Hagan
National Executive Director National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce
Calixto Chinchilla
Founder & Executive Director New York Latino Film Festival
Douglas Kellogg
Executive Director Ohioans for Tax Reform
Honorable Jeff Kropf
Oregon House of Representatives (Ret) Oregon Capitol Watch Foundation
Daniel Erspamer
CEO
Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Ed Martin
President
Phyllis Schlafly Eagles
Lorenzo Montanari
Executive Director Property Rights Alliance
Drew Johnson
Senior Fellow
National Center for Public Policy
Charlie Gerow
Chair
Pennsylvania Center Right Coalition
Steven J. Smith
Executive Director
Public Policy Institute and Media & Telecom Project Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Karen Kerrigan
President & CEO
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
Tim Andrews
Executive Director
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
David Williams
President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation
Jenny Beth Martin
Honorary Chairman
Tea Party Patriots Action
Jose Marquez
CEO
Tech Latino
Sara Croom
Executive Director
Trade Alliance to Promote Prosperity
Christopher Holman
Professor of Law
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Kristen Osenga
Professor of Law
University of Richmond School of Law
Jonathan Taplin
Founding Director Emeritus Annenberg Innovation Lab University of Southern California
Ramiro Cavazos
President & CEO
U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce