I am pleased to tell you that today President Obama issued an Executive Order called "The Establishment of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committees," establishing two intellectual property enforcement advisory committees designed to improve the Federal Government’s intellectual property enforcement efforts.  The President's issuance of the Executive Order further confirms his Administration's commitment to creating jobs and improving the economy by strengthening the enforcement of intellectual property laws, the laws designed to protect and foster America's inventiveness and creativity.

In his State of the Union address, the President emphasized that to remain competitive in today’s world economy, to create jobs and new business opportunities, we need to unleash the creative spirit of the American people, the same spirit that has made us the most prosperous nation in the world.  In his weekly address on January 29, 2011, the President reiterated that “America will win the future by out-innovating, out educating and out building our competitors.”  At a meeting at the White House on January 28, 2011, flanked by Cabinet members, other senior Administration officials, and the CEOs of several of our top companies, Vice President Biden echoed the President’s remarks, further noting that we must also work hard to protect our intellectual property to ensure that the “innovative ideas and creative products reach their full potential without being stolen, co-opted or, quite frankly, compromised.” 

To ensure that the Administration does its best to protect these innovations and creative products, today  the President issued this Executive Order, which establishes a Cabinet level Senior Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committee comprised of the heads of the Departments responsible for intellectual property enforcement, including the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Commerce, Health and Human Services, State, Treasury, Agriculture and USTR.  The Executive Order also establishes the Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from the agencies responsible for designing and carrying out the Administration’s strategy for stopping intellectual property theft. 

The committees established by this Executive Order will encourage innovation by focusing and intensifying the Administration’s efforts to combat intellectual property theft in the United States and abroad.  Confident that their innovations and creativity will be protected, our intellectual property industries will continue to develop countless ground-breaking products while creating new sustainable jobs and contributing even more to our economic well being.

Victoria Espinel is the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator.