Chamber’s GIPC Applauds House Action on Rogue Sites Legislation
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center applauds the House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet for holding a hearing today on “Promoting Investment and Protecting Commerce Online: Legitimate Sites v. Parasites, Part I.”
Last month, a broad coalition of more than 130 organizations—small, medium and large businesses, professional and labor organizations, and trade associations—wrote to Congress expressing their support for the introduction and enactment of rogue sites legislation. It is encouraging to see that policy makers are listening and recognizing the scope of the problem of rogue websites dedicated to intellectual property theft and are considering ways to cut them off from the U.S. market.
American ingenuity fuels this nation’s economic growth, creates millions of new jobs and improves our quality of life. America’s economy is based on big ideas that are turned into innovative new products. However, these innovative products are often the target of criminals, abusing the Internet to lure unsuspecting consumers to seemingly legitimate websites that sell potentially-dangerous counterfeit products and pirated movies and software with no regard for U.S. laws. Their illegal activities pose a significant safety risk to consumers and rob America of deficit reducing tax revenue.
Consumers, however, aren’t the only victims: studies estimate that rogue websites cost legitimate businesses of all sizes $135 billion in lost revenue annually and generate more than 53 billion visits per year. These findings further underscore the urgency of the fight against IP theft online.
If America is to continue to lead the world in innovation, it is imperative that rogue sites legislation be a top priority for Congress. We are glad to see both the House the Senate taking on this issue to protect American consumers and jobs. To further demonstrate the urgent need and express our support for rogue sites legislation, we have submitted written testimony for today’s hearing. To learn more about our campaign against online theft, please visit www.fightonlinetheft.com.
