U.S. officials promote anti-piracy campaign in Europe

U.S. officials promote anti-piracy campaign in Europe

   U.S. government officials will travel to Europe June 6-10 to promote the Bush administration’s Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP) initiative.

   These officials returned from a similar mission to Asia in mid-April. The U.S. delegation will meet with German, British, French and European Commission officials to discuss cooperation to crack down on trade of fake goods.

   “Our outreach to Europe marks the continuation of the administration’s sustained global effort to build on international cooperation against piracy and counterfeiting,” said U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman, in a statement Monday.

   The U.S. delegation will meet with government officials and industry executives across Europe to learn about their successful enforcement programs and to share U.S. proposals to fight product piracy. Among the discussions topics are U.S. proposals to simplify registration and improve protection of brands in overseas markets by:

   * Strengthening border control measures.

   * Boosting investigation and prosecution of money laundering crimes associated with trade in fakes.

   * Raising the stakes for global counterfeiters by improving law enforcement methods.

   * Standardizing the trademark registration process.

   The U.S. delegation will also propose means to increase consistency in intellectual property policy and to coordinate international enforcement actions.