06-24-2010, 08:17 AM
June 23, 2010
At a press conference in Washington, D.C. last week, Vice President Joe Biden spoke to the media alongside U.S. intellectual property enforcement coordinator Victoria Espinel as they introduced the government's new strategy on piracy and copyright protection. "Piracy is theft. Clean and simple," Biden told reporters, according to CNet News. "It's smash and grab. It ain't no different than smashing a window at Tiffany's and grabbing [merchandise]."
Espinel issued a report called the Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement that included more than 33 recommendations to fight piracy, such as cooperating with foreign governments to go after foreign-based pirate sites. The report also recommends ways to protect not only the music and entertainment industries, but others as well. Espinel and Biden said that billions of dollars worth of phony goods are entering the U.S. every year including tires, airplane parts, pharmaceutical products, and even Kevlar vests. But they also spent time discussing online piracy and illegal file sharing. Biden suggested that Internet service providers should come to the aid of antipiracy efforts by the film and music industries, and he said that the U.S. government is going to step up pressure on foreign governments where pirate websites operate.
"We want to make sure that these countries know we want these sites shut down," Biden said, according to CNet. "We are going to shine a light. If these sites are operating openly in a country that is not taking action... we can make it very public and shine a light on rogue actors. It's the government's responsibility to respond."
Espinel added a warning to illegal file-sharers, saying "We have committed to putting you out of business." She also assured copyright owners that "help is on the way."
At a press conference in Washington, D.C. last week, Vice President Joe Biden spoke to the media alongside U.S. intellectual property enforcement coordinator Victoria Espinel as they introduced the government's new strategy on piracy and copyright protection. "Piracy is theft. Clean and simple," Biden told reporters, according to CNet News. "It's smash and grab. It ain't no different than smashing a window at Tiffany's and grabbing [merchandise]."
Espinel issued a report called the Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement that included more than 33 recommendations to fight piracy, such as cooperating with foreign governments to go after foreign-based pirate sites. The report also recommends ways to protect not only the music and entertainment industries, but others as well. Espinel and Biden said that billions of dollars worth of phony goods are entering the U.S. every year including tires, airplane parts, pharmaceutical products, and even Kevlar vests. But they also spent time discussing online piracy and illegal file sharing. Biden suggested that Internet service providers should come to the aid of antipiracy efforts by the film and music industries, and he said that the U.S. government is going to step up pressure on foreign governments where pirate websites operate.
"We want to make sure that these countries know we want these sites shut down," Biden said, according to CNet. "We are going to shine a light. If these sites are operating openly in a country that is not taking action... we can make it very public and shine a light on rogue actors. It's the government's responsibility to respond."
Espinel added a warning to illegal file-sharers, saying "We have committed to putting you out of business." She also assured copyright owners that "help is on the way."