Remarks by Chargé d'Affaires Virginia Blaser on the Occasion of the Launch of the Public Outreach Campaign on Intellectual Property Rights

Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 10.00 A.M.

Sir Harilall Vaghjee Hall, Port Louis

Dr. the Honorable Bunwaree, Minister of Education Culture and Human Resources
Ms. Florie Liser, Assistant US Trade Representative for Africa
H.E. Mr. A.P. Neewoor, Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Gerard Louise, Director of Mauritius Society of Authors
Distinguished Guests

It is a great pleasure to be here for the launch of the Public Outreach Campaign on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

Intellectual Property laws protect more than assets – they protect creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and, most importantly… people.   Intellectual property rights (IPR) are the legal means to ensure products and services are genuine, and to encourage innovation and creativity.  Copyright, patent, and trademark laws protect everything from literary and artistic works to computer programs. 

Violation of these laws through counterfeiting and piracy spans a wide range of industries and products and is not confined to any particular country.  Just take a walk along the streets of Port Louis, and you will see what I mean.  Pirated DVDs, CDs, electrical parts, and other protected items are being sold at ridiculous prices.

Allow me to highlight some of the dangers and implications of trading in counterfeit and pirated products and the reasons why IPR violations are important for Mauritius and its citizens.      

Trade in such goods threatens the health and safety of consumers and economies around the world.

Trading in pirated products is dangerous.

Trade in such goods has caused global financial losses of hundreds of millions of dollars every year.  
 
So, Trading in pirated products is stealing.  Can any of us afford that in this time of economic crisis?

These losses benefit international organized crime networks that increasingly use counterfeiting and piracy as a low-risk, high-revenue means of financing illicit activities, including terrorism.  

So, Trading in pirated products benefits criminals.

Consistent and coordinated IPR enforcement helps protect society from dangerous, defective counterfeit consumer products that infringers make and sell.  Without strong and coordinated IPR protection, infringers often go unpunished and reap huge gains at public expense, while harming production and trade of legitimate goods. 

It is in the interest of every country to promote and protect intellectual property rights: To safeguard the intellectual assets of their citizens, to increase consumer welfare and safety, and to develop globally competitive products and services. 

I am happy to note that the Government of Mauritius has in place legislation to that effect.  In conjunction, however, the Government needs to dedicate resources to fight IPR infringement.  Mauritius should be more active in pursuit of these crimes, taking effective enforcement action, which could include fines and prosecuting IPR violators.   

Strong IPR protection and enforcement ensure inventors, creators and other risk-takers can be rewarded for their ingenuity and investment in innovation.  To thrive, knowledge-based industries rely on the protection of innovation, creativity, cultural diversity and technological development.  Protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights helps encourage foreign investment, and drive long-term economic development by stimulating job growth. 

As the leaders of the G-8 nations recognized in 2007, "A fully functioning intellectual property system is an essential factor for the sustainable development of the global economy through promoting innovation."

The United States is committed to improving IPR protection at home and abroad.  Doing so promotes innovation, creativity and economic growth.  I note with interest that IPR protection and enforcement is one of the priority issues identified in the U.S.-Mauritius Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).  I am confident that working together we can and should find ways to confront infringement and overcome the threats of piracy.       

I wish all the participating entities success in the implementation of this very important IPR outreach campaign.  The ultimate aim of any outreach campaign is to change the behavior of the target audience.  Anti-piracy campaigns succeed only if consumers stop buying pirated goods.  Our work today will be judged by that criteria, and it is important that we succeed.

Thank you.