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As China’s intellectual property practices continue on to be a centerpiece of the Trump Administration’s trade policy, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Senate Finance Committee Member Bill Nelson (D-Florida) on Friday urged U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer to include strong copyright protections in U.S. trade agreements, including the new NAFTA.  Digital trade and intellectual property are both topics that the USTR has expected to address in the negotiations.

In February, the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law also requested that the new NAFTA require increased protections in trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents.   The proposals included: that Canada and Mexico establish criminal penalties for trade secrets violations similar to those in the U.S. Economic Espionage Act, an agreement that Mexico …
Continue Reading Ambassador Lighthizer Urged to Include Intellectual Property Protections in New NAFTA

Four days after President Trump signed a memorandum directing the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) to determine whether to initiate a Section 301 investigation of Chinese laws, policies, practices, or actions that may be harming the intellectual property rights of U.S. persons, USTR Lighthizer formally announced the initiation of an investigation on August 18, 2017.

The public is encouraged to participate in the investigation by submitting comments and appearing at a public hearing in Washington, DC.  Comments and requests to appear at the hearing must be submitted by Thursday, September 28, 2017. The public hearing will be held in the main hearing room of the U.S. International Trade Commission (“USITC”) on Tuesday, October 10, 2017.
Continue Reading USTR Lighthizer Keeps Promise, Swiftly Initiates Investigation into Potential Chinese IP Violations