White House IP Honcho Takes On Piracy

Online piracy costs legitimate IT companies billions of dollars each year and the White House’s top administrator says any meaningful attempt at disrupting the illicit trade will require considerable cooperation between law enforcement, the government and the companies most affected by the problem.

As Datamation reports, the issue brings the Obama administration’s broader intellectual property agenda into greater focus as companies work to stamp out the continuous loss of revenue and brand integrity.

One of the umbrella goals detailed in that plan is to improve coordination among the different government entities involved in IP enforcement, aiming to harmonize the efforts of law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels and strengthen cooperation with the private sector.

The top White House official overseeing intellectual property issues on Tuesday said that the administration is meeting with a broad array of Internet companies in an attempt to craft policies to curtail the flow of online pirated content.

Victoria Espinel, who serves as the nation’s first intellectual property enforcement coordinator within the Office of Management and Budget, said the administration is working with a variety of stakeholders, including Internet service providers, search engines and payment processors, in what it is billing as a “voluntary cooperation initiative.”

Read the full story at Datamation:


White House IP Chief Talks Tough on Online Piracy