Legislative Update: IP Enforcement Act Advances In The
Senate
By Jason A. Berta and Jeffrey A.
Simmons
New legislation aimed at bolstering intellectual property (IP)
rights enforcement is making its way through Congress and is poised
to become law before the end of the year. The Enforcement of
Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008 (Senate Bill 3325; Bill)
was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week and now
awaits a vote before the full Senate. The House passed companion
legislation in May 2008.
The Bill was introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to combat
global counterfeiting and piracy of American innovation. It is
estimated that 750,000 American jobs have been lost due to overseas
IP infringement, and that $200 billion in U.S. sales are lost each
year. "Intellectual property is one of the few areas where
America has a clear advantage over foreign competitors,"
asserts Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-OH), co-sponsor of the
Bill.
