World Intellectual Property Day

Floor Speech

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Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1208) supporting the goals of World Intellectual Property Day.

The Clerk read the title of the resolution.

The text of the resolution is as follows:

H. Res. 1208

Whereas intellectual property is the backbone of the economic competitiveness of the United States and the only economic sector in which the United States has a trade surplus with every nation in the world;

Whereas well over 50 percent of United States exports now depend on some form of intellectual property, compared to less than 10 percent 50 years ago;

Whereas intangible assets that stem from intellectual property, such as high-value services, global branding, technological know-how, and scientific research, must be recognized as cornerstones in achieving economic recovery and creating jobs;

Whereas intellectual property assets today represent more than one third of the value of United States-based corporations and more than 17 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States;

Whereas intellectual property plays a significant role in an increasingly broad range of services, ranging from the Internet to health care to nearly all aspects of science and technology and literature and the arts, and the potential for innovation and invention must be fostered as its greatest attribute;

Whereas the United States and all countries share the challenge of combating piracy and counterfeiting of intellectual property, including illicit trade in life-saving drugs, cutting edge technologies, film, music, books, and inventions that affect the quality of life;

Whereas the piracy and counterfeiting of intellectual property have a significant impact on economies around the world, translate into lost jobs, lost earnings, and lost tax revenues, and threaten public health and safety;

Whereas the World Intellectual Property Organization, with 184 member states, is the primary organization in the world focused on the development and protection of intellectual property rights for all creators and all countries;

Whereas World Intellectual Property Day provides an opportunity to reflect on how intellectual property touches all aspects of people's lives, how copyright helps music to be heard and art, films, and literature to be seen, how industrial design helps shape the world in which people live, how trademarks provide reliable signs of quality, and how patenting helps promote ingenious inventions that make life easier, faster, safer, and sometimes completely changes the way people live;

Whereas the theme of 2010 World Intellectual Property Day is ``Innovation-Linking the World'', and presents an opportunity to champion the role of intellectual property rights in providing incentives for the development of the innovative solutions needed to meet today's global challenges while creating jobs and stimulating the United States economy;

Whereas April 26, 1970, was the date on which the Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization entered into force;

Whereas, in 2000, member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization established World Intellectual Property Day to celebrate the contribution made by innovators and artists to the development and growth of societies across the globe and to highlight the importance and practical use of intellectual property in everyone's daily lives; and

Whereas April 26, 2010, has been designated as World Intellectual Property Day, a time to celebrate the importance of intellectual property to the United States and the world: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) supports the goals of World Intellectual Property Day to promote, inform, and teach the importance of intellectual property as a tool for economic, social, and cultural development;

(2) recognizes the ever-increasing importance of intellectual property and the new challenges and serious threats to its protection, which affect prospects for future growth of the United States economy;

(3) supports robust and ongoing efforts to protect the health and well-being of citizens in the United States from fraudulent and illegal counterfeiting and piracy;

(4) congratulates the World Intellectual Property Organization for building awareness of the value of intellectual property and developing the necessary infrastructure to help citizens take full advantage of their own creativity; and

(5) applauds the ongoing contributions of human creativity and intellectual property to growth and innovation and for the key role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter and stronger future for the United States and the world.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) each will control 20 minutes.

The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Wisconsin.

GENERAL LEAVE

Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Wisconsin?

There was no objection.

Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, House Resolution 1208 supports the goals of World Intellectual Property Day and recognizes the importance of protecting intellectual property. World Intellectual Property Day brings attention to the impact that intellectual property has in our daily lives, educates us on how intellectual property protection promotes creativity and innovation, and celebrates its contributions to society.

The theme for World Intellectual Property Day this year is, ``Innovation: Linking the World.'' The focus is to educate us on how innovation technologies have created an interlinked and global society.

Yesterday, we celebrated the 10th annual World Intellectual Property Day. This day was selected because on April 26, 1970, the United Nations established the World Intellectual Property Organization, otherwise known as WIPO. WIPO works to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world, and yesterday was WIPO's 40th anniversary. This resolution congratulates the World Intellectual Property Organization for building awareness of the value of intellectual property. This resolution also celebrates the contributions of innovators throughout the world and reminds us of the importance of protecting intellectual property rights.

Protecting intellectual property rights is key to maintaining incentives for the development of innovative solutions to meet today's global challenges, and so we must continue to fight against piracy and counterfeiting of intellectual property. Piracy damages our national economy and the world economy. It results in lost jobs and stifles innovation.

I would like to thank Congressman ADAM SMITH for introducing this resolution. I would also like to acknowledge the strong bipartisan support of members of the Intellectual Property Caucus.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he might consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and a former chairman of the Intellectual Property Subcommittee.

Mr. COBLE. I thank my friend from Texas (Mr. Smith) for yielding.

Madam Speaker, intellectual property has been described as the cornerstone, or one of the cornerstones, of America's economic future; and I think that is an accurate description.

H. Res. 1208 supports the goals of World Intellectual Property Day, which falls on April 26 every year, which this year also happened to fall on the 40th anniversary of the World Intellectual Property Organization, commonly known as WIPO. WIPO has grown to 184 member states, and its new director general, Francis Gurry, issued a statement honoring World Intellectual Property Day, which pledged to ensure that the intellectual property system continues to serve its most fundamental purpose of encouraging innovation and creativity, and that the benefits of the system are accessible to all, helping to bring the world closer.

Robust and effective laws combined with effective enforcement are absolutely necessary to meet General Gurry's global ambitions. According to the Department of Commerce, intellectual property-intensive industries employ nearly 18 million workers, account for more than 50 percent of all U.S. exports, and represent 40 percent of the country's growth in the United States. USA for Innovation estimates that U.S. intellectual property is worth between $5 trillion and $5.5 trillion. The credit for this success belongs to our great innovators and for our robust intellectual property laws which have enabled innovation to flourish in America.

Expanding similar intellectual property protections throughout the world is, in my opinion, Madam Speaker, in everyone's best interest. In this regard, WIPO plays a very important role, and it is my hope that General Gurry will make every effort to help others realize the significance of intellectual property rights and work to help implement and enforce robust laws which ensure that intellectual property will flourish everywhere.

I urge support of H. Res. 1208.

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