Government Programs to Assist Businesses Protect Their Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Foreign Markets; Notice of Extension of Comment Period, 68325-68327 [2010-27942]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 214 / Friday, November 5, 2010 / Notices
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act),
and 19 CFR part 351, in general. See
Initiation Notice. We received no
response from the domestic industry by
the deadline date. See 19 CFR
351.218(d)(1)(i). As a result, the
Department has determined that no
domestic party intends to participate in
the sunset reviews. See 19 CFR
351.218(d)(1)(iii)(A). On September 21,
2010, the Department notified the
International Trade Commission in
writing that we intended to issue a
revocation of the antidumping duty
orders. See 19 CFR
351.218(d)(1)(iii)(B)(2).
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Revocation
SUMMARY:
Pursuant to section 751(c)(3)(A) of the
Act and 19 CFR 351.218(d)(1)(iii)(B)(3),
if no domestic interested parties
respond to a notice of initiation, the
Department shall, within 90 days after
the initiation of the review, revoke the
order. Because no domestic interested
party filed a notice of intent to
participate in any of the reviews, the
Department finds that no domestic
interested party is participating in the
reviews. Thus, we are revoking the
orders on certain stainless steel buttweld pipe fittings from Japan, South
Korea and Taiwan.
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
Effective Date of Revocation
Pursuant to sections 751(c)(3)(A) and
751(c)(6)(A)(iii) of the Act, and 19 CFR
351.222(i)(2)(i), the Department will
instruct U.S. Customs and Border
Protection to terminate the suspension
of liquidation of the merchandise
subject to these orders entered, or
withdrawn from warehouse, on or after
October 20, 2010, the fifth anniversary
of the date of publication of the last
continuation notice. Entries of subject
merchandise prior to the effective date
of revocation will continue to be subject
to suspension of liquidation and
antidumping and deposit requirements.
The Department will complete any
pending administrative reviews of these
orders and will conduct administrative
reviews of subject merchandise entered
prior to the effective date of revocation
in response to appropriately-filed
requests for review.
This five-year (‘‘sunset’’) review and
this notice are in accordance with
section 751(c) and 777(i)(1) of the Act.
Dated: November 1, 2010.
Paul Piquado,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010–28025 Filed 11–4–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:16 Nov 04, 2010
Jkt 223001
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XA006
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Recordkeeping and
Reporting Requirements; Public
Workshops
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of workshop.
AGENCY:
NMFS, Alaska Region, will
present a workshop on seaLandings, a
consolidated electronic means of
reporting landings and production of
commercial groundfish to multiple
management agencies for Federal and
State fisheries off Alaska, and 2011
recordkeeping and reporting
requirements for the Alaska groundfish
fisheries and Individual Fishing Quota
fisheries.
DATES: The workshop will be held on
November 29, 2010, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Pacific Standard Time.
ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held
at the Swedish Cultural Center located
at 1920 Dexter Ave., N. Seattle, WA, in
the Svea Room located on the Main
level.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Susan Hall, 907–586–7462.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
workshop will include a discussion of
2011 recordkeeping and reporting
requirements for Alaska groundfish
fisheries and Individual Fishing Quota
fisheries, and instructions for
completing and submitting required
reports and logbooks using seaLandings.
NMFS will provide a demonstration
of the new version of seaLandings for atsea catcher/processors and motherships,
and training on how to submit daily
production reports, and landing reports
with and without Individual Fishing
Quota.
Beginning in 2011, new regulations
implementing Amendment 91 to the
Fishery Management Plan for
groundfish of the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Area require American
Fisheries Act catcher/processors and
any catcher/processor harvesting
Community Development Quota pollock
to use a NMFS approved electronic
logbook in lieu of using the NMFS
catcher/processor trawl gear Daily
Fishing Logbook. At this workshop,
NMFS will provide a demonstration of
the trawl catcher/processor electronic
logbook in seaLandings.
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
68325
Special Accommodations
These workshops will be physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Susan Hall, 907–
586–7462, at least 5 working days prior
to the meeting date.
Dated: November 2, 2010.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010–28065 Filed 11–4–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[ITA–2010–0006]
Government Programs to Assist
Businesses Protect Their Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) in Foreign
Markets; Notice of Extension of
Comment Period
Office of Intellectual Property
Rights, International Trade
Administration, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Extension of Comment
Period.
AGENCY:
The International Trade
Administration (ITA) of the U.S.
Department of Commerce issued a
request for written submissions in the
Federal Register of September 30, 2010
(ITA–2010–0006) concerning
government programs for protecting the
intellectual property rights of U.S.
businesses in foreign markets. See 75 FR
60408, Sep. 30, 2010. The agency is
conducting a comprehensive review of
existing U.S. efforts and seeks public
input. This document extends the
comment period from October 29, 2010
to November 29, 2010. Comments may
be submitted as instructed in the
original Federal Register Notice. See
ADDRESSES. ITA is taking this action in
response to requests for an extension to
allow interested persons additional time
to submit comments.
DATES: Submissions must be received on
or before Monday, November 29, 2010.
ADDRESSES: All comments should be
submitted via the Federal eRulemaking
Portal, https://www.regulations.gov,
docket number ITA–2010–0006. To
submit comments to https://
www.regulations.gov, find the docket by
entering the number ITA–2010–0006 in
the ‘‘Enter Keyword or ID’’ window at
the https://www.regulations.gov home
page and click ‘‘Search.’’ The site will
provide a search-results page listing all
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\05NON1.SGM
05NON1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
68326
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 214 / Friday, November 5, 2010 / Notices
documents associated with this docket.
Find a reference to this notice by
selecting ‘‘Notice’’ under ‘‘Document
Type’’ on the left side of the searchresults page, and click on the link
entitled ‘‘Submit a comment.’’ (For
further information on using the https://
www.regulations.gov Web site, please
consult the resources provided on the
Web site by clicking on ‘‘How to Use
This Site’’ on the left side of the home
page).
The https://www.regulations.gov site
provides the option of submitting
comments by filling in a ‘‘Type
comment & Upload file’’ field, or by
attaching a document. Attached
documents are preferable. If a document
is attached, please type ‘‘IPR Assistance
Review’’ in the ‘‘Type comment &
Upload file’’ field. Submissions in
Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat
(.pdf) are preferred. If the submission is
in an application other than those two,
please indicate the name of the
application in the ‘‘Comments’’ field.
Submissions must be in English.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
questions on the submission of
comments, please contact Christine
Peterson at (202) 482–1432 or Andrea
Cornwell at (202) 482–0998.
Publication and Confidential
Information: Submissions filed in
response to this request will be made
available to the public by posting them
on the Internet. For this reason, please
do not include in your comments
information of a confidential nature,
such as sensitive personal information
or proprietary information. If you have
confidential business information that
would support your recommendation or
that you believe would help the U.S.
Government formulate an effective
enforcement strategy, please let us
know, and we may request that
additional information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the
Federal Register of September 30, 2010,
ITA published a notice for request for
comments with a 30-day comment
period. The Agency received and
considered requests for an extension of
the comment period and extended the
comment period for 30 days until
November 29, 2010. The text of the
original notice appears below.
The Department of Commerce invites
public input and participation in
shaping government programs for
protecting the intellectual property
rights of U.S. businesses, including
Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises
(SMEs), in foreign markets. As
evidenced by the launch of the
President’s National Export Initiative,
improving U.S. Government support for
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:16 Nov 04, 2010
Jkt 223001
U.S. business in overseas markets is an
Administration priority. Unfortunately,
American exporters face various barriers
to entry in overseas markets including
barriers related to intellectual property
rights.
In coordination with the Intellectual
Property Enforcement Coordinator
(‘‘IPEC’’) and to implement certain
action items in the 2010 Joint Strategic
Plan on Intellectual Property
Enforcement submitted to Congress by
the IPEC, the Department of Commerce
is conducting a comprehensive review
of existing U.S. Government efforts to
educate, guide, and provide resources to
U.S. businesses that are:
1. Acquiring intellectual property
rights in foreign markets;
2. Contemplating exporting
intellectual property-based products or
choosing markets for export;
3. Actively entering foreign markets or
facing difficulties entering foreign
markets; or
4. Encountering difficulties enforcing
their intellectual property rights in
foreign markets.
The goal of the review is to improve
efforts to support U.S. businesses facing
barriers related to intellectual property
rights protection and enforcement in
overseas markets.
The Department of Commerce is
hereby requesting written submissions
from the public. In responding, please
consider the questions and information
requests posed below, but do not limit
comments to these areas.
1. Describe your level of familiarity
with intellectual property rights in
general and intellectual property rights
in foreign markets in particular.
2. Identify specific challenges
businesses, including SMEs, face in
protecting their intellectual property
rights abroad.
3. In what countries or regions do
businesses need the most assistance
protecting their intellectual property
rights? In responding please prioritize
any countries identified.
4. Which specific types of intellectual
property (copyrights, trademarks,
patents, trade secrets) present the most
challenges to SMEs? Should U.S.
government programs focus on specific
areas of intellectual property protection?
5. Suggest particular outreach,
programs or assistance that the
government can provide that would
help U.S. businesses overcome those
challenges.
6. Describe your familiarity with or
use of current U.S. Government services
and tools related to IPR protection and
enforcement in foreign markets, and
assess their usefulness and/or gaps.
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
7. Assess the adequacy of the
intellectual property resources, tools,
services and programs that the U.S.
government currently provides to SMEs.
8. What specific outreach formats
(e.g., conferences, webinars,
publications, podcasts) work best for
educating U.S. businesses on how to
protect their IPR abroad?
9. Identify specific existing programs
provided by the U.S. Government or
governments of other countries that
have been particularly effective at
assisting U.S. businesses with protecting
their intellectual property rights in
foreign markets (including, if possible,
specific examples illustrating the
effectiveness of those methods).
10. Identify specific existing programs
involving cooperation between
stakeholders and the U.S. Government
(or between stakeholders and other
governments) that have been
particularly effective at assisting SMEs
with the protection of their IP in foreign
markets.
11. What additional role(s) should the
government play in assisting businesses
with the protection of their intellectual
property rights abroad?
12. Identify additional resources and
tools the U.S. Government could
provide to support SMEs as they enforce
their intellectual property rights in
foreign markets.
13. Identify the most effective and
efficient ways to inform U.S. businesses
of new and existing government
offerings that support U.S. businesses in
their efforts to protect their intellectual
property abroad.
14. In a recent report by the
International Trade Commission,
combining resources through trade
associations or through less formal
groups was one strategy SMEs suggested
to reduce trade barriers. Describe ways
the government can support SMEs as
they pool resources to combat
infringement abroad.
It is difficult to overstate the value of
intellectual property rights (IPR) to
innovation, investment and economic
development for U.S. businesses.
Intellectual property rights are also
critical to our small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs). The U.S. Chamber
of Commerce 1 estimates that IPintensive industries employ 18 million
Americans, and the Small Business
Administration has estimated that SMEs
alone employ half of Americans and
account for 65 percent 2 of new jobs.
1 Global Intellectual Property Center, Intellectual
Property: Creating Jobs, Saving Lives, Improving the
World, 2009.
2 Karen Mills, Administrator of the U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA), speech at ‘‘Jobs on
E:\FR\FM\05NON1.SGM
05NON1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 214 / Friday, November 5, 2010 / Notices
The theft of IP from SMEs is a serious
matter, as it stifles innovation, slows
economic growth, weakens the
competitiveness of U.S. employers, and
threatens American jobs. Intellectual
property theft at the hands of foreign
companies, consumers, and even
governments, has an adverse impact on
all IP-based innovation and economic
success. SMEs are particularly
vulnerable because they are at a distinct
disadvantage when confronting these
difficulties in foreign markets. The
Department of Commerce’s priorities
include ensuring that intellectual
property remains a viable driver or
innovation, and that our IP-based
industries can compete effectively in the
international marketplace. Commerce
Bureaus, namely the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) and the
International Trade Administration
(ITA), work alongside the IPEC and the
agencies involved in intellectual
property rights enforcement to help
businesses secure and enforce
intellectual property rights at home and
abroad.
To educate and assist all businesses,
and SMEs in particular, the Department
of Commerce has developed a number
of IPR tools and resources. ITA, on
behalf of U.S. intellectual property
agencies, launched a Web site in 2004
(https://www.stopfakes.gov) to provide
updates and links to Executive Branch
IPR programs. On the Web site, there are
additional resources for businesses such
as an online IPR tutorial, which is
available in three languages, countryspecific IPR toolkits and links to other
resources such as the American Bar
Association’s International IP Advisory
Program. The site also allows businesses
to file complaints about IPR-related
trade problems, which are answered by
a trade specialist from ITA. The
Department of Commerce also
established the 1–866–999–HALT
hotline answered by PTO IPR experts,
who work with ITA’s Office of
Intellectual Property Rights (OIPR) to
help businesses secure and enforce their
IPR through international treaties.
Though this list is non-exhaustive, U.S.
agencies recognize that there may be
additional government tools and
support on IPR protection and
enforcement that could assist U.S.
exporters.
Main Street, Customers Around the World’’ event
hosted by USTR 01–21–10.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:16 Nov 04, 2010
Jkt 223001
Dated: Monday, November 1, 2010.
Skip Jones,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Trade
Agreements and Compliance, Market Access
and Compliance, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2010–27942 Filed 11–4–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DA–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–533–502]
Certain Welded Carbon Steel Standard
Pipes and Tubes From India:
Rescission of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
AGENCY:
In response to requests from
interested parties, the Department of
Commerce (the Department) initiated an
administrative review of the
antidumping duty order on certain
welded carbon steel standard pipes and
tubes from India. The period of review
is May 1, 2009, through April 30, 2010.
As a result of withdrawal of the requests
for review, the Department is rescinding
this review.
SUMMARY:
DATES:
Effective Date: November 5,
2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael Romani or Minoo Hatten, AD/
CVD Operations, Office 5, Import
Administration, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230;
telephone: (202) 482–0198 or (202) 482–
1690, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On June 30, 2010, and in accordance
with 19 CFR 351.213(g) and 19 CFR
351.221(b)(1), we published a notice of
initiation of an administrative review of
the antidumping duty order on certain
welded carbon steel standard pipes and
tubes from India. See Initiation of
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Administrative Reviews and Requests
for Revocation in Part, 75 FR 37759
(June 30, 2010). Based on various
requests for review, we initiated reviews
of Lloyds Group and all affiliates
(including but not limited to Lloyds
Metals & Engineers Ltd. and Lloyds
Steel Industries Ltd.) (collectively,
Lloyds) and Ushdev International Ltd.
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
68327
Rescission of Review
In accordance with 19 CFR
351.213(d)(1), the Department will
rescind an administrative review, ‘‘in
whole or in part, if a party that
requested a review withdraws the
request within 90 days of the date of
publication of notice of initiation of the
requested review. The Secretary may
extend this time limit if the Secretary
decides that it is reasonable to do so.’’
On October 14, 2010, the U.S. Steel
Corporation withdrew its request for a
review of the order with respect to
Lloyds and Ushdev International Ltd.
Lloyds withdrew its request for review
on October 18, 2010. Although the
parties submitted letters withdrawing
their review requests after the 90-day
regulatory deadline, the Department
finds it is reasonable to extend the
deadline for withdrawing review
requests because it has not yet devoted
significant time or resources to the
review.
Because we received no other requests
for review of Lloyds, we are rescinding
the administrative review of the order
with respect to Lloyds Group and all
affiliates, Lloyds Metals & Engineers
Ltd., and Lloyds Steel Industries Ltd.
Because we received no other requests
for review of Ushdev International Ltd.,
we are also rescinding the review with
respect to Ushdev International Ltd.
This rescission is in accordance with 19
CFR 351.213(d)(1). The Department
intends to issue appropriate assessment
instructions to U.S. Customs and Border
Protection 15 days after publication of
this notice.
Notifications
This notice serves as a final reminder
to importers of their responsibility
under 19 CFR 351.402(f) to file a
certificate regarding the reimbursement
of antidumping duties prior to
liquidation of the relevant entries
during this review period. Failure to
comply with this requirement could
result in the Department’s presumption
that reimbursement of antidumping
duties occurred and the subsequent
assessment of doubled antidumping
duties.
This notice also serves as a reminder
to parties subject to administrative
protective order (APO) of their
responsibility concerning destruction of
proprietary information disclosed under
an APO in accordance with 19 CFR
351.305(a)(3). Timely written
notification of the destruction of APO
materials or conversion to judicial
protective order is hereby requested.
Failure to comply with the regulations
E:\FR\FM\05NON1.SGM
05NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 214 (Friday, November 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68325-68327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27942]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[ITA-2010-0006]
Government Programs to Assist Businesses Protect Their
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Foreign Markets; Notice of
Extension of Comment Period
AGENCY: Office of Intellectual Property Rights, International Trade
Administration, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Extension of Comment Period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The International Trade Administration (ITA) of the U.S.
Department of Commerce issued a request for written submissions in the
Federal Register of September 30, 2010 (ITA-2010-0006) concerning
government programs for protecting the intellectual property rights of
U.S. businesses in foreign markets. See 75 FR 60408, Sep. 30, 2010. The
agency is conducting a comprehensive review of existing U.S. efforts
and seeks public input. This document extends the comment period from
October 29, 2010 to November 29, 2010. Comments may be submitted as
instructed in the original Federal Register Notice. See ADDRESSES. ITA
is taking this action in response to requests for an extension to allow
interested persons additional time to submit comments.
DATES: Submissions must be received on or before Monday, November 29,
2010.
ADDRESSES: All comments should be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking
Portal, https://www.regulations.gov, docket number ITA-2010-0006. To
submit comments to https://www.regulations.gov, find the docket by
entering the number ITA-2010-0006 in the ``Enter Keyword or ID'' window
at the https://www.regulations.gov home page and click ``Search.'' The
site will provide a search-results page listing all
[[Page 68326]]
documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to this notice
by selecting ``Notice'' under ``Document Type'' on the left side of the
search-results page, and click on the link entitled ``Submit a
comment.'' (For further information on using the https://www.regulations.gov Web site, please consult the resources provided on
the Web site by clicking on ``How to Use This Site'' on the left side
of the home page).
The https://www.regulations.gov site provides the option of
submitting comments by filling in a ``Type comment & Upload file''
field, or by attaching a document. Attached documents are preferable.
If a document is attached, please type ``IPR Assistance Review'' in the
``Type comment & Upload file'' field. Submissions in Microsoft Word
(.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) are preferred. If the submission is in
an application other than those two, please indicate the name of the
application in the ``Comments'' field. Submissions must be in English.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions on the submission of
comments, please contact Christine Peterson at (202) 482-1432 or Andrea
Cornwell at (202) 482-0998.
Publication and Confidential Information: Submissions filed in
response to this request will be made available to the public by
posting them on the Internet. For this reason, please do not include in
your comments information of a confidential nature, such as sensitive
personal information or proprietary information. If you have
confidential business information that would support your
recommendation or that you believe would help the U.S. Government
formulate an effective enforcement strategy, please let us know, and we
may request that additional information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Federal Register of September 30,
2010, ITA published a notice for request for comments with a 30-day
comment period. The Agency received and considered requests for an
extension of the comment period and extended the comment period for 30
days until November 29, 2010. The text of the original notice appears
below.
The Department of Commerce invites public input and participation
in shaping government programs for protecting the intellectual property
rights of U.S. businesses, including Small- and Medium-Sized
Enterprises (SMEs), in foreign markets. As evidenced by the launch of
the President's National Export Initiative, improving U.S. Government
support for U.S. business in overseas markets is an Administration
priority. Unfortunately, American exporters face various barriers to
entry in overseas markets including barriers related to intellectual
property rights.
In coordination with the Intellectual Property Enforcement
Coordinator (``IPEC'') and to implement certain action items in the
2010 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement
submitted to Congress by the IPEC, the Department of Commerce is
conducting a comprehensive review of existing U.S. Government efforts
to educate, guide, and provide resources to U.S. businesses that are:
1. Acquiring intellectual property rights in foreign markets;
2. Contemplating exporting intellectual property-based products or
choosing markets for export;
3. Actively entering foreign markets or facing difficulties
entering foreign markets; or
4. Encountering difficulties enforcing their intellectual property
rights in foreign markets.
The goal of the review is to improve efforts to support U.S.
businesses facing barriers related to intellectual property rights
protection and enforcement in overseas markets.
The Department of Commerce is hereby requesting written submissions
from the public. In responding, please consider the questions and
information requests posed below, but do not limit comments to these
areas.
1. Describe your level of familiarity with intellectual property
rights in general and intellectual property rights in foreign markets
in particular.
2. Identify specific challenges businesses, including SMEs, face in
protecting their intellectual property rights abroad.
3. In what countries or regions do businesses need the most
assistance protecting their intellectual property rights? In responding
please prioritize any countries identified.
4. Which specific types of intellectual property (copyrights,
trademarks, patents, trade secrets) present the most challenges to
SMEs? Should U.S. government programs focus on specific areas of
intellectual property protection?
5. Suggest particular outreach, programs or assistance that the
government can provide that would help U.S. businesses overcome those
challenges.
6. Describe your familiarity with or use of current U.S. Government
services and tools related to IPR protection and enforcement in foreign
markets, and assess their usefulness and/or gaps.
7. Assess the adequacy of the intellectual property resources,
tools, services and programs that the U.S. government currently
provides to SMEs.
8. What specific outreach formats (e.g., conferences, webinars,
publications, podcasts) work best for educating U.S. businesses on how
to protect their IPR abroad?
9. Identify specific existing programs provided by the U.S.
Government or governments of other countries that have been
particularly effective at assisting U.S. businesses with protecting
their intellectual property rights in foreign markets (including, if
possible, specific examples illustrating the effectiveness of those
methods).
10. Identify specific existing programs involving cooperation
between stakeholders and the U.S. Government (or between stakeholders
and other governments) that have been particularly effective at
assisting SMEs with the protection of their IP in foreign markets.
11. What additional role(s) should the government play in assisting
businesses with the protection of their intellectual property rights
abroad?
12. Identify additional resources and tools the U.S. Government
could provide to support SMEs as they enforce their intellectual
property rights in foreign markets.
13. Identify the most effective and efficient ways to inform U.S.
businesses of new and existing government offerings that support U.S.
businesses in their efforts to protect their intellectual property
abroad.
14. In a recent report by the International Trade Commission,
combining resources through trade associations or through less formal
groups was one strategy SMEs suggested to reduce trade barriers.
Describe ways the government can support SMEs as they pool resources to
combat infringement abroad.
It is difficult to overstate the value of intellectual property
rights (IPR) to innovation, investment and economic development for
U.S. businesses. Intellectual property rights are also critical to our
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce
\1\ estimates that IP-intensive industries employ 18 million Americans,
and the Small Business Administration has estimated that SMEs alone
employ half of Americans and account for 65 percent \2\ of new jobs.
[[Page 68327]]
The theft of IP from SMEs is a serious matter, as it stifles
innovation, slows economic growth, weakens the competitiveness of U.S.
employers, and threatens American jobs. Intellectual property theft at
the hands of foreign companies, consumers, and even governments, has an
adverse impact on all IP-based innovation and economic success. SMEs
are particularly vulnerable because they are at a distinct disadvantage
when confronting these difficulties in foreign markets. The Department
of Commerce's priorities include ensuring that intellectual property
remains a viable driver or innovation, and that our IP-based industries
can compete effectively in the international marketplace. Commerce
Bureaus, namely the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the
International Trade Administration (ITA), work alongside the IPEC and
the agencies involved in intellectual property rights enforcement to
help businesses secure and enforce intellectual property rights at home
and abroad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Global Intellectual Property Center, Intellectual Property:
Creating Jobs, Saving Lives, Improving the World, 2009.
\2\ Karen Mills, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA), speech at ``Jobs on Main Street, Customers
Around the World'' event hosted by USTR 01-21-10.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To educate and assist all businesses, and SMEs in particular, the
Department of Commerce has developed a number of IPR tools and
resources. ITA, on behalf of U.S. intellectual property agencies,
launched a Web site in 2004 (https://www.stopfakes.gov) to provide
updates and links to Executive Branch IPR programs. On the Web site,
there are additional resources for businesses such as an online IPR
tutorial, which is available in three languages, country-specific IPR
toolkits and links to other resources such as the American Bar
Association's International IP Advisory Program. The site also allows
businesses to file complaints about IPR-related trade problems, which
are answered by a trade specialist from ITA. The Department of Commerce
also established the 1-866-999-HALT hotline answered by PTO IPR
experts, who work with ITA's Office of Intellectual Property Rights
(OIPR) to help businesses secure and enforce their IPR through
international treaties. Though this list is non-exhaustive, U.S.
agencies recognize that there may be additional government tools and
support on IPR protection and enforcement that could assist U.S.
exporters.
Dated: Monday, November 1, 2010.
Skip Jones,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Trade Agreements and Compliance, Market
Access and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2010-27942 Filed 11-4-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DA-P
