The High Court in the UK today dismissed a case brought by Internet service providers arguing that they should not be held responsible for their share of costs for an education campaign to inform illegal file uploaders that their activities are illegal, and to redirect them to legitimate digital distribution sites. In a particularly well-worded statement, [...]

On the heels of last week’s report on Notorious Markets by the USTR, lawmakers in Washington are urging Vice President Joe Biden to relay a message to Russia during his visit this week: be more aggressive fighting online piracy.  CNET reported that Sens. Orrin Hatch (R- Utah) and Sheldon Whitehouse, (D-RI) and Reps. Bob Goodlatte [...]

Today the Office of the US Trade Representative released a list of more than 30 physical and Internet markets that represent critical challenges in combating piracy and counterfeiting.  USTR Ron Kirk called this report “an opportunity to work together with our trading partners to curb illicit trade and expand legitimate commerce in creative and innovative [...]

Washington this week is taking on the problem of intellectual property theft and its consequences on a global scale. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Monday announced it has taken down 18 websites selling counterfeit luxury goods as part of its “Operation In Our Sites” initiative aimed at counterfeiting and piracy online. [...]

Adding to several recent reports that are shedding light on the cost of piracy is today’s release by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) predicting that by 2015, the annual global economic impact of piracy and counterfeiting will reach $1.7 trillion and put 2.5 million jobs at risk each year. The report adds further detail [...]

“Protecting intellectual property is a top priority for the United States – for President Obama, for me, and for America’s law enforcement community.” Thus spoke U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder yesterday in Hong Kong. The Attorney General’s remarks are but the latest in a long list of strong endorsements of the rights of copyright owners [...]

The phrase “free speech” gets tossed around a lot in policy debates, often in a highly misleading way. It’s a topic I’m particularly sensitive to, since much of my career involved the daily exercise of free speech as a journalist. It was also an issue I studied and wrote about as a think tank senior [...]

Thursday featured many Obama Administration officials speaking strongly about the importance of copyright enforcement at an event sponsored by the U.S. Commerce Department, but enforcement actions on Wednesday by the Administration spoke even louder than words. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other state and federal agencies, with the new “Operation in our Sites,” cut [...]

An mindset entirely unfriendly to artists and creators has emerged in recent years that contains an argument and a conclusion: (1) Copyright doesn’t work in the digital age. (2) Thus, as much as we might pretend to disapprove, infringement is a reality and the resulting forfeiture of rights by artists and creators should be accepted. [...]

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama recently reiterated the critical role trade plays in the U.S. economy and job creation and growth by issuing a Presidential Proclamation declaring May 16-22nd, 2010, World Trade Week (see the proclamation on the White House web site). We’re honoring World Trade Week by being honored with an interview with Assistant [...]