U.S. Chamber Welcomes Release of USTR’s Notorious Market Out-of-Cycle Review
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released the first-ever Notorious Market Out-of-Cycle Review, identifying 17 websites and 17 physical markets that are responsible for the most egregious infringements of intellectual property (IP) rights. Steven Tepp, senior director for Internet counterfeiting and piracy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center, released the following statement welcoming the announcement:
“We applaud the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for recognizing the detrimental effects of these notorious markets, particularly for expanding this year’s list to include rogue websites that facilitate IP theft. This list will be a critical tool to help educate consumers about the dangers of rogue websites. It also shines a spotlight on the countries that appear to abide or attract these sites and signals USTR’s intent to raise concerns over the protection of IP online with those countries.
“Criminals who operate these markets are stealing the best of American creativity and innovation. These parasites feed on the time, effort, talent, and hard work of millions of Americans who rely on the protection of IP for their livelihood. The illegal activities of rogue websites impede America’s job creation, endanger consumers’ health and safety, and stifle our economic recovery.
“The U.S. Chamber commends USTR for taking the initiative to conduct this Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review to highlight the markets at the forefront of global piracy and counterfeiting. The importance of the Notorious Market list is amplified by recent studies that describe the scope of their harm. MarkMonitor released a report finding that 48 rogue websites alone generate 53 billion visits annually and a Frontier Economics study showed that 2.5 million jobs are lost to counterfeiting and piracy. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been of tremendous help, seizing over 100 U.S.-based rogue websites in the past 10 months alone. However, today’s Notorious Market list demonstrates that many rogue websites are outside the United States. That is why Congress needs to enact legislation that will authorize the courts to protect our consumers and jobs by cutting off foreign rogue websites from the U.S. market.”
The Chamber’s Global Intellectual Property Center is working around the world to champion intellectual property (IP) rights as vital to creating jobs, saving lives, advancing global economic growth, and generating breakthrough solutions to global challenges.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.
