Innovation Asset Blog

IP chief: Private companies can protect IP

Victoria Espinel, the White House's intellectual property enforcement coordinator, recently claimed that private companies are taking action to combat intellectual property infringements, the Wall Street Journal reported.

According to Espinel, several private initiatives, such as a voluntary crackdown on illegal online pharmacies, have helped to protect intellectual property without the need for government to encumber the internet with an excessive number of new rules.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Copyright Summit in Brussels, Espinel told a group of reporters that the U.S. government is trying to "avoid more regulation" of businesses, as well as "inappropriate" legislation.

Espinel also told the reporters that enforcement of online copyright and prevention of piracy are top issues for her office. According to Espinel, "the entire internet ecosystem" - including internet service providers, credit card companies and others - has a role to play in this task.

Illegal streaming of copyright material should be regarded as a felony, "in the same way that more traditional forms of distribution are," Espinel said. Internet service providers, she added, have an important role to play in educating the public about illegal practices that infringe on intellectual property rights.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.