US representatives unsatisfied with results of fighting piracy abroad

The administration of US president Obama doesn’t look kindly on piracy and counterfeiting. Last week, it became apparent that the fight against piracy can count on bipartisan support. A hearing in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives resulted in several congressmen of both parties to emphasise the importance of copyright enforcement in an international setting in order to serve US economic interests. 

During the committee meeting, the US intellectual property enforcement coordinator Victoria Espinel was heard about the mixed success she has with enforcing American property rights in other countries. According to a post on CNET, she did not always manage to impress the committee members.

Representatives of not only the music and movie industries, but also car part manufacturers, the fashion industry and medical equipment makers argue to lose billions of dollars and thousands of jobs as a result of piracy and counterfeiting. US administrations are always sensitive to arguments involving the economy.

With the administration of the most powerful nation in the world not succeeding very well to make headway against file-sharing portals and Usenet providers, the atmosphere may have gotten a little tense. In answer to a question what Espinel planned to do against countries that fail to uphold American interests, she replied that “There are no easy answers.”

Of course she is right, but this failed to impress many of the committee’s members. As many sectors in the US rely heavily on intellectual property, their global enforcement becomes more and more important in US politics.