FUND THE PRO-IP ACT - Protect American Jobs

With piracy annually costing the United States an estimated $5.2-billion and 100,000 jobs, we strongly urge the federal government to dedicate resources to enforce antipiracy laws, especially at points of entry into the United States. Piracy of intellectual property (IP) generally and entertainment content specifically is a continuing threat to our local jobs base and economic vitality—and often lowers profit margins of US entertainment exports, thus affecting the US economy. Anti-Piracy efforts must be a major component of international trade discussions, and Congress should resist efforts to unravel the copyright protections contained in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Specifically, we encourage Congress to prioritize full implementation of the Pro-IP Act that was passed in 2008 (The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008, P.L. 110-403). To date, Congress has provided funding in both FY09 and FY10. These appropriated dollars are making a difference as these agents and prosecutors come on-line in the field across the country. Among the legislation’s key provisions were those that authorized funds for FBI agents and federal prosecutors dedicated to fighting counterfeiting and piracy. For these provisions to be meaningful and effective, they must be adequately funded through the appropriations process.

We respectfully ask that you support continued funding for IP enforcement and provisions authorized by the PRO-IP Act during the FY11 appropriations process.