Mumbai: MPAA chairman and CEO Dan Glickman joined lawmakers in unveiling the six countries on the 2008 priority watch list of the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus (IAPC), calling on governments around the world to develop and enforce remedies to deal with the mounting global problem of intellectual property theft.
"The US copyright industries—which contribute more than $819 billion annually to our nation’s GDP—continue to be plagued by the rampant theft of their products on a global scale," Glickman said. "A high level of piracy, especially as seen in the countries on the watch list, is detrimental to any country’s economic growth. The increasing scourge of online copyright theft underscores the need for all governments to develop and vigorously enforce effective legislative solutions to address online piracy and to encourage greater inter-industry cooperation in the fight against it."
The bipartisan and bicameral IAPC, created in 2003 and led by Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), is committed to protecting American intellectual property and reducing the scourge of piracy abroad.
The annual report of the watch list identifies countries based on levels of piracy and the need for government intervention in lawmaking, enforcement and prosecution of intellectual property theft.
This year’s list focuses on Canada, China and Russia as high-priority countries with persistent intellectual property problems. Priority countries include Mexico and, for the first time, Spain and Greece. The Spanish government’s persistent failure to address Spain’s epidemic Internet piracy problem, which is wreaking havoc on the legitimate market, has caused Spain to appear on the list.
"I sincerely appreciate the work of the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus and its recognition of the problems posed by global piracy. These members’ efforts are essential to motivating governments to take action and I look forward to our continued work together to promote copyright protection and the enforcement of intellectual property rights," Glickman said.
