[Ip-health] Pfizer CEO's recommendations on IP enforcement to Senate Finance Comm.

[Mike Palmedo]

 From today's hearing at the Seante Finance Committee. The full text of
Pfizer CEO Jeffrey Kindler (and others) is available here:
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing071508.htm

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Testimony of Jeff Kindler
Chairman and CEO, Pfizer, Inc.,
Before the Senate Finance Committee on International Enforcement of
Intellectual Property Rights And American Competitiveness
July 15, 2008

[snip]

So, in working to defend IP protection around the world, what
specifically can Congress do? Let me offer a few suggestions:

STRONGER ENFORCEMENT TOOLS: U.S. officials need to hold the worst
counterfeit offenders accountable, and the government needs more
resources to do that. The global IP problem is growing faster than the
capacity of our agencies that fight it.

STRONG, ENFORCABLE IP PROVISIONS IN OUR TRADE AGREEMENTS: This means for
all forms of IP. The global landscape for IP is evolving. Our trade
agreements need to reflect those changes. Acquiescing to a weakening of
IP in these agreements will mortgage our economic future and global
competitiveness. Congress should act on strong trade agreements that
include important improvements in IP =96 like the FTA with Korea =96 as soo=
n
as possible.

A NEW ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TRADE AGREEMENT: Such an agreement with our
most advanced trading partners will set a global benchmark. Critical as
well: stronger border measures to combat counterfeiting, as proposed in
pending legislation.

EXPANDED DATA EXCLUSIVITY:. Right now our major trading partners have
longer periods of exclusivity than we do. There are those who would
shrink ours. I believe we must expand those protections in order to stay
competitive with countries that, in this respect, have stronger IP
protections than the U.S.

[snip]



--
Mike Palmedo
Research Coordinator
Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property
American University, Washington College of Law
4910 Massachutsetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20016
T - 202-274-4442 | F 202-274-0659
mpalmedo@wcl.american.edu