New IPEC Aims to Help Enforce Laws Against IP Theft

Recently, the U.S Congress approved the Obama administration’s appointment of Victoria Espinel as U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC). The position was originally created in compliance with the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008. Espinel was nominated for the position in the fall of 2009.

“My job is to help protect the ideas and creativity of the American public,” notes Espinel in a message posted on the White House’s official website. “Our intellectual property represents the hard work, creativity, resourcefulness, investment and ingenuity of the American public. Infringement of intellectual property can hurt our economy and can undermine U.S. jobs. Infringement also reduces our markets overseas and hurts our ability to export our products. Counterfeit products can pose a significant threat to the health and safety of us all.”

“There has been a lot of discussion on Capitol Hill about reforming our intellectual property laws to better reflect modern economic realities and to promote a multinational approach to IP protection,” commented Boyle Fredrickson co-founder and shareholder Timothy E. Newholm. “It would not surprise me to see an increased effort to work with, and in some cases apply pressure to, other countries to ensure that Americans’ intellectual property rights are respected.”