Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (CACP) Letter Supporting Additional Resources to Bolster the Department of Homeland Security's Intellectual Property Enforcement Efforts

The Honorable Frank Lautenberg
Chairman
Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable George G. Voinovich
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Lautenberg and Ranking Member Voinovich:

On behalf of the Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (CACP)—which includes more than 700 companies and associations from over a dozen sectors of our economy that have united to fight the economic battle against counterfeiting and digital theft—I thank you for supporting additional resources to help bolster the Department of Homeland Security’s intellectual property (IP) enforcement efforts.

As you know, the high growth, high wage sectors of the U.S. economy, as well as our global competitiveness, depend on innovation, creativity, and technical invention. Ensuring that millions of American jobs are not lost to IP theft requires a sustained effort to enforce our laws.

The CACP appreciates the Committee funding the President’s FY11 request of $5M for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), as well as providing ICE an additional $5M designated to be used for special agents in the field nationwide. Further, the CACP applauds the Committee for requiring Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to submit their five-year plan before spending the $20M provided by the Committee.

Increasing IP-dedicated resources at CBP and ICE represents a critical next step to complement the dedicated resources already in place at the Department of Justice and can have a significant impact in reducing the staggering loss of more than $200 billion that U.S. industries incur on an annual basis due to widespread IP theft.

In closing, I’d also like to compliment and thank your staff, Chip Walgren and Carol Cribbs, for working with us on this important issue. The CACP looks forward to working with you through the remainder of FY11 appropriations cycle to ensure that the federal government has the resources to effectively protect the intellectual property of the American innovative and creative sectors.

Sincerely,

Richard Cotton
Chairman

Cc: The Members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security