Letter supporting S. 3804, the "Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act"

The Honorable Patrick Leahy
Chairman
Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Leahy:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region, applauds you and your colleagues’ recent introduction of S. 3804, the “Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act.”

Unfortunately, as Americans have embraced e-commerce, counterfeiters and pirates have turned to the Internet as a platform to support sophisticated new commercial models based on intellectual property (IP) theft. Today, counterfeiting and digital theft through “rogue sites” online is rampant across the world, hindering U.S. economic growth, destroying American jobs, and putting consumers at risk.

While many of these rogue sites strive to conceal their true nature and thus may appear legitimate to consumers, they are devoted almost exclusively to offering or enabling unauthorized downloads or streaming of copyrighted material – including the latest movies and music hits – or to trafficking in counterfeit products, from pharmaceuticals to luxury goods. The Chamber believes that effectively addressing the proliferation of these sites is necessary to protect jobs in key industries and consumers from unsafe products and services, and to facilitate the continued growth of the vibrant, legitimate internet marketplace.

S. 3804 would provide an enhanced legal tool to take these rogue sites offline or at least disrupt their access to the U.S. market, help to prevent their re-emergence, and cut them off from the supportive services and revenue stream they need to survive.

The Chamber commends you for the thoughtful framework laid out in the current bill to attack the growing problem of online IP theft. While no single effort can entirely resolve this massive problem, S. 3804 is a critical step in the right direction. As the legislation moves forward, we urge you to be guided by the need for an efficient and expeditious avenue that promotes effective legal action against these rogue websites while continuing to respect strategic partners in this effort.

The Chamber appreciates your efforts to craft this important legislation and stands ready to work with you to ensure it is enacted into law.

Sincerely,

R. Bruce Josten

Cc: The Members of the United States Senate