Earlier today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center proudly stood shoulder to shoulder with leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees from both major parties and labor representatives at a press conference highlighting the problem of rogue websites and the need to cut them off from the U.S. market to create American jobs, protect consumers, and allow the Internet to flourish as a legitimate online marketplace.

Counterfeiting and piracy have stolen 2.5 million jobs, largely due to rogue websites, which garner over 53 billion visits a year. Rogue websites are used by foreign criminals, who profit off the sale of counterfeit merchandise to unsuspecting American consumers or engage in blatant copyright piracy. The fakes they sell are often shoddy and potentially harmful to consumers who don’t realize the dangers. And these sites are rife with malicious viruses, exposing consumers to identity theft.

The criminals behind these sites are laughing all the way to the bank, stealing the best of American creativity and innovation at the expense of our jobs and consumers.

The sight of Republicans and Democrats, business and labor joined in unity is a tangible demonstration of the overwhelming support for action against rogue websites. Today’s event is an unmistakable clarion call to make the Internet a better, safer place for American businesses, workers, and consumers by cutting rogue sites off from the American market.

The Chamber thanks Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Tx.), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), and Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet for their leadership against rogue sites.