Our SME IPR Training Tutorial has been translated into French and Spanish!
Now available in three languages (English, French and Spanish), our online IPR training tutorial, Understanding Intellectual Property Rights, helps you to assess your intellectual property assets, protect them in the United States, and enforce them worldwide. Learn more by clicking on the links to the left!

Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force Sponsors Symposium on Copyright Policy in the Internet Economy
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce, held a public meeting on July 1, 2010, to discuss the relationship of copyright policy, creativity, and innovation in the Internet economy. The agencies explored the changing nature of infringement and whether those changes suggest gaps in copyright law. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property David Kappos and U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel participated. The day-long symposium was part of an ongoing series of events sponsored by the Commerce Department’s newly created Internet Policy Task Force, which is charged with conducting a comprehensive review of the nexus between privacy policy, copyright, global free flow of information, cybersecurity, and innovation in the Internet economy. (Commerce Blog)

9th Round of ACTA Negotiations Held In Lucerne, Switzerland (June 28 – July 1)
The 9th round of negotiations on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was held in Lucerne, Switzerland from 28 June to 1 July 2010, hosted by Switzerland. Based on the text released after the Wellington Round, Participants continued constructive work and made progress in building consensus in a number of areas including Initial Provisions, General Obligations, Civil Enforcement, Border Measures, Criminal Enforcement, Enforcement Measures in the Digital Environment, International Cooperation and Institutional Arrangements. Discussions on the scope of intellectual property rights covered in ACTA provided an improved understanding of the respective views on that issue. Participants in the meeting agreed that the next meeting would be hosted by the United States of America. Participants also reaffirmed their commitment to continue their work with the aim of concluding ACTA as soon as possible in 2010. (Press Release)

IPEC Releases Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement
In accordance with the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act (PRO-IP Act), the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC), Victoria Espinel, recently released a Joint Strategic Plan against counterfeiting and infringement. In addition to considering more than 1,600 public comments in preparing the Plan, the IPEC’s office worked closely across numerous Federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, and State, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the U.S. Copyright Office. The strategy contains more than thirty concrete recommendations for improvement, falling into six main categories: leading by example, increasing transparency, ensuring efficiency and coordination, enforcing rights internationally, securing the supply chain, and building a data-driven government. (White House Blog) (Joint Strategic Plan)

The U.S.-EU Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Working Group Meets in Brussels
On June 7, a session of the U.S-EU Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Working Group was held in Brussels. The meeting was co-chaired by the European Commission’s Directorate General (DG) for External Trade for the European Union and the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office and the U.S. Department of Commerce for the United States. Officials reported to stakeholders on ongoing cooperative efforts to strengthen intellectual property rights (IPR) protection globally and reviewed the current status of multilateral discussions currently underway. The next meeting of the IPR Working Group is tentatively scheduled to take place in Washington in Fall 2010. (Full Press Release)

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