Dear Mr. President:
Over the past few years, many of us have expressed to your Administration our concern about the alarming levels of piracy of U.S. intellectual property in Russia. We write in advance of your upcoming summit with President Vladimir Putin to express deep disappointment over the fact that the piracy situation in Russia remains largely unchecked and that the Russian Government has missed critical deadlines in meeting the obligations it undertook in the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement reached with the United States in November of 2006.
We urge you to stress our concerns to President Putin in the strongest possible terms. And we urge you not to support Russia’s accession to the WTO until Russia has manifested both a willingness and ability to provide effective enforcement of U.S. intellectual property in law and practice.
We hope to welcome Russia as a full member of the international trading system, but with rights come responsibilities. And Russia has thus far failed to meet its responsibilities. It has not only continued to serve as a supplier of pirated U.S. products to foreign markets, but well known Russian pirate websites offering copyrighted music, movies, games, and software have continued to operate with impunity from Russian authorities. We recognize that Russia has taken some important steps to improve the situation, but Russia unquestionably has not complied with its obligations under the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement, and our industries have suffered as a result. The theft of American intellectual property in Russia continues at alarming rates. And this theft means millions of dollars in lost revenues for U.S. businesses, and lost jobs for U.S. workers.
Intellectual property, in all its forms, is a keystone of America's economy. Some reports indicate that intellectual property already drives over 40% of US GDP, and that percentage will likely grow in the future. Protection of U.S. intellectual property abroad is critical to our competitiveness today and in the future. We look forward to working with you to expand protection of U.S. intellectual property in Russia and throughout the rest of the world.
Very truly yours,
Max Baucus
Harry Reid Debbie Stabenow
Jon Tester Maria Cantwell
Evan Bayh Kent Conrad
Orrin Hatch Ken Salazar
Ron Wyden Lindsey Graham
George Voinovich Arlen Specter
Jack Reed Gordon Smith
Susan M. Collins
Source: Ranking Member’s News
