29 June 2006
Intellectual Property Laws Benefit All Nations, U.S. Experts Say, June 29, 2006(IPR creates legal infrastructure that allows businesses to flourish)
By Jane Morse
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Laws protecting intellectual property rights (IPR) are beneficial for all countries, regardless of their level of development, U.S. experts say.
IPR, the experts say, creates "a legal infrastructure that allows business to flourish. In this regard, IPR contributes towards development."
Officials from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) answered questions from business leaders, students, IPR experts and others in India during a June 29 webchat hosted by the U.S. Department of State.
Representing the USPTO were Dominic Keating, a patent attorney, Ann Chaitovitz, who specializes in copyright law, Jonathan Tracy, an expert in intellectual property enforcement issues for the Middle East and South Asia regions, and Nancy Omelko, a trademark-examining attorney. The USPTO group provided responses collectively to questions on various aspects of IPR.
"IPR is very important in the United States," the USPTO team said. "It supports the highest growing industries, creates many jobs and incentivizes new inventions and creative works." The officials noted that IPR is a form of personal property that can be sold or conveyed.
In discussions regarding the balance between IPR and the public interest, especially in the area of health care, the USPTO team was adamant. "Intellectual property rights provide incentives that make new medicines and other life-saving inventions available," they said.
A transcript of the discussion and information on upcoming webchats are available on Webchat Station.
For more information on IPR, see Focus on Intellectual Property Rights, a special publication produced by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs. See also the Web site Protecting Intellectual Copyrights.
