Washington – The Computer & Communications Industry Association is participating in a hearing conducted by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Wednesday to solicit input on the agency’s annual Special 301 report surveying intellectual property rights protection and enforcement worldwide.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association represents companies that are both rightsholders and who benefit from fair use, and has advocated for balanced intellectual property laws for more than 50 years. CCIA Vice President for Digital Trade Jonathan McHale will testify at the hearing and will express concerns with growing trade barriers in the form of discriminatory online content requirements. CCIA filed comments providing feedback on global digital trade barriers in the IP space in January.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Vice President for Digital Trade Jonathan McHale:
“Globally, countries are hindering U.S. digital exports through laws discriminating against U.S. content or failing to respect the flexibility intellectual property law should provide as negotiated in international treaties and trade agreements. USTR should address these burdens U.S. exporters face abroad as part of its Congressional mandate. Failure to do so will undermine U.S. participation in the fastest growing sector within trade in services, and a key conduit for the successful export of U.S. audiovisual content.”