Intellectual Property Rights, Counterfeiting & Piracy

U.S. and EU representatives reaffirmed their commitment to open investment policies at the second meeting of the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC), which took place in Brussels, Belgium, on May 13. They also moved forward on removing restrictions on U.S. poultry exports to the EU and addressing EU concerns about U.S. approval procedures for certain electrical products. The American delegation was led by Daniel Price, Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs and U.S. chair of the TEC. European Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen headed the EU side.

The U.S. and the EU announced on February 22 the results of Operation Infrastructure, the first joint IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) enforcement operation undertaken by the U.S.’s Customs and Border Protection and the European Union. Carried out in November and December 2007, Operation INFRASTRUCTURE resulted in the seizure of over 360,000 counterfeit integrated circuits and computer network components bearing over 40 different trademarks. These products were selected for the joint operation because they present safety and security risks in addition to infringing IPRs. At their 2006 Summit, the European Union and the United States committed to implementing the “EU-U.S. Action Strategy for the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).” This operation, targeting counterfeit semiconductors and computer networking equipment implemented the “joint IPR border enforcement action” portion of the strategy.

CBP video on IPR

Fake component seized during joint U.S.-EU anti-counterfeiting Operation Infrastructure

2008: U.S., EU Discuss Investment, Poultry at Second Transatlantic Economic Council Meeting (May 13, 2008) | Countries Mount Global Campaign to Combat Product Counterfeiting (Apr 24, 2008) | U.S., EU Announce Joint Operation in Combating Pirated Goods (Feb 22, 2008)

2007: U.S. To Seek New Trade Agreement to Fight Fakes with EU, Others (Oct 23, 2007) (Fact Sheet) | Strong Property Rights Link to Economic Well-Being, Report Says (Mar 6, 2007)

2006: Bush Administration Releases Report on Intellectual Property Enforcement and Protection (Sep 28, 2006) | U.S.-EU Summit Declaration (Jun 21, 2006) | U.S., EU Adopt Action Strategy for the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (Jun 20, 2006) | Countering Counterfeiting: Oped by U.S. Commerce Secretary Guttierez, USTR Schwab, European Commission Vice-President Verheugen, and European Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson (Jun 20, 2006) | Experts Explain Intellectual Property Rights in New Publication (Jan 19, 2006)

The United States and the European Union held their first informal economic ministerial meeting in Brussels, Belgium, November 30, 2005, as a follow-up to commitments made at the U.S.-EU summit in June concerning closer trans-Atlantic cooperation on issues such as intellectual property rights (IPR), regulatory cooperation, trade and security and improving innovation. The U.S. and EU delegations agreed to develop an IPR enforcement cooperation strategy for the 2006 U.S.-EU Summit.

2005: United States, EU Hold Informal Economic Ministerial (Nov 30, 2005) | G8 Vows To Increase Fight Against Intellectual Property Theft (Jul 8, 2005) | United States, EU Fight Global Piracy, Counterfeiting (Jun 20, 2005) | U.S., European Officials To Promote Collaboration Against Piracy (Jun 6, 2005)

2004: USTR Zoellick, EU Commissioner Lamy Discuss Airbus, Doha, IPR, China (Oct 1, 2004)

2003: U.S. Releases Special 301 Report on Intellectual Property, Cites EU (May 1, 2003)