Intellectual Property: Agencies Progress in Implementing Recent Legislation, but Enhancements Could Improve Future Plans
Highlights
Intellectual property (IP) plays a significant role in the U.S. economy. Enforcing IP laws involves many U.S. agencies, making coordination essential. Under the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008 (PRO-IP Act), Congress required the U.S. Attorney General, through the Department of Justice (DOJ), to devote additional resources and undertake other specific IP efforts. The PRO-IP Act also created the position of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) to enhance interagency coordination. The act mandates that GAO provide Congress with a report on the efforts of DOJ and the IPEC. This status report addresses DOJ and Office of the IPEC's efforts to implement the act. The report also compares the 2010 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement to the content called for in the PRO-IP Act. GAO examined relevant documents, interviewed agency staff and officials, and compared agency actions and the 2010 strategic plan with the PRO-IP Act.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator | To meet the PRO-IP Act's content requirements related to the Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement and increase effectiveness and accountability, the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, in consultation with the Interagency Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committee, should assign implementation of all of the plan's priorities and related action items to specific departments and agencies when developing the 2013 plan and subsequent plans. |
IPEC generally concurred with this recommendation. The IPEC's 2013 joint strategic plan assigned implementation of all of the plan's priorities and related action items to specific departments and agencies. Subsequent plans have not yet been issued since the IPEC is only required to submit a joint strategic plan to committees of Congress every third year.
|
| Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator | To meet the PRO-IP Act's content requirements related to the Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement and increase effectiveness and accountability, the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, in consultation with the Interagency Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committee, should provide estimates of the resources needed to carry out the priorities of the plan. |
The IPEC's 2013 joint strategic plan did not provide estimates of the resources needed to carry out the priorities of the plan. Subsequent plans have not yet been issued since the IPEC is only required to submit a joint strategic plan to committees of Congress every third year.
|