[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 178 (Thursday, September 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46522-46523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19863]


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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET


Request of the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator 
for Public Comments: Development of the Joint Strategic Plan on 
Intellectual Property Enforcement

AGENCY: Office of the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement 
Coordinator, Executive Office of the President, Office of Management 
and Budget.

ACTION: Request for written submissions from the public.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Government is starting the process to develop a 
new 3-year Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement. 
By committing to common goals, the U.S. Government will more 
effectively and efficiently promote and protect our intellectual 
property. In this request for comments, the Executive Office of the 
President (``EOP''), Office of the U.S. Intellectual Property 
Enforcement Coordinator invites public input and participation in 
shaping the Administration's intellectual property enforcement 
strategy.
    The Office of the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement 
Coordinator (``IPEC'') is charged with developing, with certain Federal 
departments and agencies, the Administration's Joint Strategic Plan on 
Intellectual Property Enforcement for submission to Congress every 
three years. The previous 3-year Joint Strategic Plans were issued in 
2010, 2013, and 2016. To assist IPEC and Federal agencies in our 
preparation of the fourth 3-year plan, IPEC requests input and 
recommendations from the public for improving the U.S. Government's 
intellectual property enforcement efforts, along the lines of this 
Administration's four-part strategic approach, described in greater 
detail below.

DATES: Submissions must be received on or before November 13, 2018, at 
5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: All submissions should be electronically submitted to http://www.regulations.gov. If you are unable to provide submissions to 
regulations.gov, you may contact the Office of the U.S. Intellectual 
Property

[[Page 46523]]

Enforcement Coordinator at [email protected] using the 
subject line ``Development of the Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual 
Property Enforcement'' to arrange for an alternate method of 
transmission. The regulations.gov website is a Federal E-Government 
website that allows the public to find, review and submit comments on 
documents that have published in the Federal Register and that are open 
for comment. Submissions filed via the regulations.gov website will be 
available to the public for review and inspection. For this reason, 
please do not include in your comments information of a confidential 
nature, such as sensitive personal information or proprietary business 
information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Levock, 202-395-3826, Office of 
the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since January 2017, President Trump and his 
Administration have worked to promote strong intellectual property 
rights protection and enforcement, both domestically and abroad. As 
part of an integrated approach, the Trump Administration views our 
intellectual property strategy, policy and enforcement efforts, 
together, as key to helping secure the future of our innovative economy 
and to maintaining our competitive advantage. As the Administration 
continues to build on past strategic efforts in all areas of 
intellectual property policy (including patents, copyrights, trademarks 
and trade secrets), both domestically and abroad, the Administration 
also recognizes that for the United States to maintain its future 
economic competitiveness, we need to think strategically and shift the 
paradigm to one where we not only place America First, but regard 
America's inventive and creative capacity as something that we must 
protect, promote and prioritize.
    As explained in the Annual Intellectual Property Report to Congress 
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2018Annual_IPEC_Report_to_Congress.pdf), the Trump Administration has 
taken significant actions to promote and protect intellectual property. 
The Administration's four-part strategic approach includes engagement 
with our trading partners; effective use of all our legal authorities, 
including our trade tools; expanded law enforcement action and 
cooperation; and engagement and partnership with the private sector and 
other stakeholders. The goal is to ensure a level playing field for 
American innovators and creators, where their innovations and creations 
are respected and protected, and for systems to be in place that allow 
American businesses to operate in a free, fair and open marketplace.
    As the United States government works to advance American economic 
interests overseas, a significant component of our enforcement and 
protection efforts includes addressing trade enforcement, market 
access, competition, digital trade, cybersecurity, and rule of law 
concerns in the intellectual property space around the world. American 
innovators and creators must be able to operate in foreign markets that 
provide them with clear paths to secure and use their IP. Countries and 
foreign companies should not be allowed to profit from the theft or 
misappropriation of American intellectual property through actions 
including trade secret theft, IP infringement, piracy, forced 
technology transfers or localization requirements. Additionally, 
American brand holders must have full and fair opportunity to market 
and sell their products and use their properly registered trademarks 
across the globe, without undue restrictions.
    To that end, and as set forth by the PRO IP Act (15 U.S.C. 8113), 
the objectives of the Joint Strategic Plan include:
     Reducing the supply of infringing goods, domestically and 
internationally;
     Identifying weaknesses, duplication of efforts, waste, and 
other unjustified impediments to effective enforcement actions;
     Promoting information sharing between participating 
agencies to the extent permissible by law;
     Disrupting and eliminating infringement networks in the 
U.S. and in other countries;
     Strengthening the capacity of other countries to protect 
and enforce intellectual property rights;
     Reducing the number of countries that fail to enforce 
intellectual property rights effectively;
     Assisting other countries to more effectively enforce 
intellectual property rights;
     Protecting intellectual property rights in other countries 
by:
    [cir] Working with other countries to reduce intellectual property 
crimes in other countries;
    [cir] Improving information sharing between U.S. and foreign law 
enforcement agencies; and
    [cir] Establishing procedures for consulting with interested groups 
within other countries;
     Establishing effective and efficient training programs and 
other forms of technical assistance to enhance the enforcement efforts 
of foreign governments through:
    [cir] Minimizing the duplication of U.S. Government training and 
assistance efforts;
    [cir] Prioritizing deployment of U.S. Government resources to those 
countries where programs can be carried out most effectively with the 
greatest impact on reducing the number of infringing products imported 
into the United States, while also protecting the intellectual property 
rights of U.S. rights holders and the interests of U.S. persons 
otherwise harmed by infringements in other countries.
    IPEC welcomes input and recommendations from the public for 
improving the U.S. Government's intellectual property enforcement 
efforts.
    In submitting comments for the development of the fourth Joint 
Strategic Plan, comments should be organized along the lines of the 
Administration's four-part strategic approach to promote and protect 
intellectual property (as discussed above and in IPEC's Annual 
Intellectual Property Report to Congress):

 Engagement with our trading partners
 Effective use of all our legal authorities, including our 
trade tools
 Expanded law enforcement action and cooperation
 Engagement and partnership with the private sector and other 
stakeholders.

Vishal J. Amin,
United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, Executive 
Office of the President.
[FR Doc. 2018-19863 Filed 9-12-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3110-01-P