[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2024-2025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-208]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Notice Requesting Comments on Intellectual Property Protection at 
Trade Events

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 4721, 4724; 22 U.S.C. 2452(a)(3); Pub. L. 
86-14 (73 Stat. 18); Pub. L. 91-269 (84 Stat. 272).

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice requesting comments on intellectual property protection 
at trade events.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce requests comments from 
interested parties regarding issues related to Intellectual Property 
Rights (IPR) protection at trade events, including policies and current 
practices, and problems of infringement.

DATES: Comments should be received within 30 days from the date this 
notice appears in the Federal Register. Comments received after 30 days 
will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: The U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 2118, HCHB, 14th 
Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230, Attn: Donald 
Huber; or e-mail to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donald Huber at Tel: 202-482-2525; e-
mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez

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recently unveiled several new programs to fight intellectual property 
theft under the Administration's Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy 
(STOP!) initiative. As one component of this initiative, the Commerce 
Department is considering what steps to take to strengthen awareness 
and protection of IPR at Commerce-supported trade events, including 
trade fairs, expositions, and shows, both internationally and 
domestically. Specifically, the Department is considering to require, 
as a condition of its support for a trade event, that the organizer 
adopt a reasonable IPR policy and that the exhibitors agree to abide by 
such a policy and to attest that they have the necessary authority for 
their use of intellectual property at the event. (Commerce programs 
include the Trade Fair Certification Program and the International 
Buyer Program.)
    In order to determine how best to strengthen IPR awareness and 
protection at trade events, the Department seeks input from trade 
events organizers and other interested parties to assist in assessing 
the breadth of the IPR protection problem at trade events generally; 
current private sector policies and practices regarding IPR protection 
at trade events; and what additional actions might be taken to address 
IPR problems.
    The Department is particularly interested in:
    1. The frequency and nature of IPR infringement incidents that they 
believe occur at trade events, including specific instances where they 
have experienced problems with IPR violations at a trade event;
    2. any measures or written policies that trade events organizers 
currently implement pertaining to IPR protection; and
    3. the benefits, and burdens, of the Department initiating 
reasonable IPR policies at trade events that it supports.
    In particular, Commerce is interested in learning about existing 
private sector IPR protection policies or procedures used for trade 
events, including the nature of those policies; whether those policies 
apply to exhibitors, attendees, or both; and how such policies are 
enforced (e.g., organizer action or recourse to traditional legal 
remedies). Submission of a copy of any IPR policies or statements, 
whether in promotional literature and in exhibitor or attendee 
contracts, would be very useful to Commerce agencies in considering the 
need for and content of a policy that might apply to DOC-sponsored 
trade events.
    Comments should be submitted in accordance with the information 
above. Comments received will be made available to the public. 
Commentators should not send confidential or proprietary information in 
response to this notice, as DOC may not be able to protect it from 
public disclosure.

    Dated: January 4, 2006.
Donald L. Huber,
Acting Executive Director, Global Trade Programs, U.S. and Foreign 
Commercial Service, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department 
of Commerce.
[FR Doc. E6-208 Filed 1-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-FP-P