[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 210 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 210

     Supporting the goals of World Intellectual Property Day, and 
   recognizing the importance of intellectual property in the United 
                         States and worldwide.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 12, 2005

 Mr. Wexler (for himself, Mr. Smith of Texas, Mr. Berman, Mr. Feeney, 
    Mr. Smith of Washington, and Mrs. Bono) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Supporting the goals of World Intellectual Property Day, and 
   recognizing the importance of intellectual property in the United 
                         States and worldwide.

Whereas intellectual property is the backbone of our Nation's economic 
        competitiveness and the only sector where the United States has a trade 
        surplus with every nation in the world;
Whereas all nations can use the intellectual property system to achieve economic 
        growth and cultural development;
Whereas intellectual property plays an important role in an increasingly broad 
        range of areas, ranging from the Internet to health care to nearly all 
        aspects of science and technology and literature and the arts, and 
        understanding the role of intellectual property in these areas--many of 
        them still emerging--often requires significant new research and study;
Whereas World Intellectual Property Day provides an opportunity to reflect on 
        how intellectual property touches all aspects of our lives: how 
        copyright helps bring music to our ears and art, films, and literature 
        before our eyes, how industrial design helps shape our world, how 
        trademarks provide reliable signs of quality, and how patenting helps 
        promote ingenious inventions that make life easier, faster, safer--and 
        sometimes completely changes our way of living;
Whereas World Intellectual Property Day is an opportunity to encourage young 
        people everywhere to recognize the creator, the problem-solver, and the 
        artist within themselves, because the classrooms of today will produce 
        the entrepreneurs, the scientists, the designers, and the artists of 
        tomorrow;
Whereas the over-arching objectives for World Intellectual Property Day 2005 are 
        to reach out to young people about the importance of intellectual 
        property, to increase understanding of how protecting intellectual 
        property rights helps foster creativity and innovation, and to raise 
        awareness of the importance in daily life of patents, copyrights, 
        trademarks, and designs;
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 our daily lives; and
Whereas April 26, 2005, has been designated as World Intellectual Property Day 
        as a time to celebrate the importance of intellectual property to the 
        United States and world economy: 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) 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;
            (3) 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 Nation; and
            (4) recognizes that intellectual property continues to face 
        serious, new challenges, which affect prospects for future 
        growth of the United States economy.
                                 <all>