Thank you for your thoughtful message regarding S. 968, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property (“PROTECT IP”) Act of 2011. I appreciate hearing from you.
As you may know, I am a cosponsor of this bipartisan proposal to crack down on websites that sell counterfeit goods and illegally stream media content. The proposal includes a private right of action that would allow rights holders to enforce directly violations of their intellectual property rights — a key enforcement provision I championed.
The internet has revolutionized the way we do business, but our laws must keep up with the evolution of online commerce. American intellectual property is an engine of job creation and economic growth, and intellectual property infringement hurts our businesses and consumers, and costs American jobs.
In supporting this legislation, I have worked to strike a careful balance between protecting the freedoms afforded by the internet and protecting the legitimate commercial, economic, and safety considerations associated with stemming counterfeiting and other intellectual property infringement. Counterfeiters and thieves cannot be allowed to disobey copyright laws by distributing and selling copyrighted American works on the internet.
Thank you again for contacting me. I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind as I continue to fight for the protection of intellectual property rights through my advocacy for the Protect IP Act and as I review other legislation that would enforce intellectual property laws. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns that you may have.
Sincerely,
Richard Blumenthal
United States Senate
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