Senators Propose Legislation To Provide Multiple Tools For Combating IP Theft

On July 27, US Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), who serves on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) proposed legislation that provides additional resources to small business owners and local law enforcement agencies for combating ongoing theft of intellectual property by foreign actors. The American IDEA (IP Defense and Enforcement Advancement) Act would provide resources in defending against actors in countries on the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Special 301 Priority Watch List, including China, Russia, India, Indonesia and Venezuela. In particular, the American IDEA Act would:

• Direct the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study how the federal government can improve protection of the IP of US manufacturers from actors in countries listed on the Special 301 Priority Watch List.