Lawmakers, industry lament costs of online piracy at hearing

On June 23, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel promised the Senate Judiciary Committee that the government would target foreign websites that facilitate the piracy of movies, music, software and other intellectual property.

The oversight hearing came just one day after the White House unveiled its joint strategic plan to combat intellectual property theft. Lawmakers and industry representatives hailed the release claiming online piracy costs the U.S. billions of dollars and thousands of jobs every year. Espinel said America has long been the target of counterfeiters and thieves because of its leadership in fields such as technology, pharmaceuticals, software, filmmaking and video games. Espinel said the plan would increase cooperation among federal agencies and increase the use of diplomatic pressure on foreign governments and trading partners to respect American intellectual property. She said legislative action may also be necessary. Lawmakers pressed Espinel on how she would secure the cooperation of foreign governments to crack down on online piracy, which is particularly harmful to the movie, music and software industries.