With government leaders confirming several cases of industrial espionage in recent months, a new bipartisan report issued by the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property calls for more evolved and aggressive trade secrets management tactics. In total, 21 distinct recommendations were made to both public and private sector stakeholders.

The estimated economic impact of the international theft of American intellectual assets is approximately congruent to the revenue generated by all U.S. exports to Asia, according to the report.

"Unless current trends are reversed, there is a risk of stifling innovation, with adverse consequences for both developed and still developing countries," the report stated. "The American response to date of hectoring governments and prosecuting individuals has been utterly inadequate to deal with the problem."

One of the most perplexing issues identified by the commission was the vulnerability of increasingly distributed supply chains. According to Forbes, it may be difficult even for U.S.-based multinational companies to confirm beyond doubt that they are not leveraging stolen or infringing technology within some segment of their own operations.

Finally, although the strongly-worded missive suggested an escalation of punitive measures for offending individuals and entities, experts stressed that clear and cooperative communication between government agencies and private companies will be the foundation for any lasting progress. More specifically, the commission endorsed the expedited passage of cybersecurity legislation aimed at encouraging cross-sector exchange of threat intelligence.