President Signs Order Creating IP Enforcement Advisory Committees

by Janette Spencer-Davis, Legal Editor, CCH Copyright Law Reports   

On February 8, 2011, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order establishing intellectual property enforcement advisory committees pursuant to the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008 (PRO-IP Act). The PRO-IP Act was designed to enhance remedies for violations of intellectual property laws and created a "coordinator" or "Intellectual Property Czar" in the White House to enforce federal anti-piracy provisions. Pursuant to the Executive Order, two committees --"Senior Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committee" and "Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committee" --were established to strengthen the efforts of the Federal Government to encourage innovation through the effective and efficient enforcement of laws protecting copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and other forms of intellectual property, both in the United States and abroad, including matters related to combating infringement. Both committees will be chaired by the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, Victoria A. Espinel. The Register of Copyrights, or a senior representative of the U.S. Copyright Office, shall be invited to serve as a member of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committee.