By Andrew Kovalcin

These days, it’s not too often that legislators agree on policy, much less actually stand united to pass something. But that was the case this year when the “big three” state elected official groups passed resolutions supporting innovation and intellectual property (IP) rights.

Recently, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and Council of State Governments (CSG) unanimously passed pro-IP resolutions which tout IP as the fuel for job growth and the bedrock of our American economy.

Unfortunately, for some, IP is an abstract good – something that’s hard to conceptualize and even more difficult to understand in scale. Thankfully, to those who create state policy and legislation, it is recognized as the core fundamental element to creating American jobs and prosperous state economies – a fact that is borne out of the Global Intellectual Property Center’s “IP Creates Jobs” report.

Independently, these groups recognize the importance of protecting IP both domestically and internationally. Specifically, they:

• call on the Office of the United States Trade Representative to ensure that trade agreements into which the United States enters will protect innovation and IP rights;
• highlight IP-related challenges and opportunities in the US-India trade relationship;
• support existing efforts to shut down the top illegal rogue websites globally that are willfully selling counterfeit goods and facilitating digital theft;
• urge Congress to Pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) with strong IP protections;
• call for the combat of the sale of counterfeit products; and
• encourage the passage of Trade Promotion Authority.

Collectively, they propel the message that IP is fundamentally important to innovation, American jobs, and our economy, and it needs to be protected – a message that should be heard by Congress, the Administration, and the international community

Additional information below:

American Legislative Exchange Council

• Resolution in Support of Intellectual Property Rights Protection

• Resolution to Highlight Challenges and Opportunities in the US-India Trade Relationship

• Resolution Urging Congress to Pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP)

• Resolution on Trade Promotion Authority

 CSG Executive Committee Approves Eight Resolutions

• Resolution on Supporting Intellectual Property (IP) Rights to Protect Jobs and Promote Economic Development

National Conference of State Legislatures

• Resolution Supporting Intellectual Property Rights and Protections to Promote Productivity, Competitiveness, Jobs and Public Health