Officials, Groups Urge Trump Administration on Pro-IP Practices

A coalition of industry and right-leaning groups and officials urged President Donald Trump's administration Tuesday to implement pro-IP rights policies and practices. Former FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, ACT-The App Association, the American Legislative Exchange Council, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council and NetCompetition were among the entities that signed the open letter. The administration should protect IP rights through “effective” provisions in trade agreements that use the “lure of access to the U.S. market” as an “incentive to convince trading partners they should increase” their IP rights protections, the groups said. The administration should consider IP protection “integral” to consumer protection and national security, the groups said. IP protection is also a “critically important” complement to internet freedom since both allow for a “truly free community” in which “people can engage in legitimate activities safely, and where bad actors are held accountable,” the groups said. They also encouraged promotion of voluntary initiatives that allow good-faith actors to work within the private sector “to address illegal conduct. These voluntary efforts can empower consumers to make educated decisions about their online activities and encourage creativity, innovation, investment and jobs.”