Political Quotes

“Mr. President, as a member of the Congressional Trademark Caucus, I have made it a goal to increase awareness and spark a dialogue about the importance of trademarks. Because this year constitutes the 70th anniversary of the Lanham Act, I would like to join my colleague, Senator Coons, in introducing a resolution to recognize the Lanham Act and designate July as National Anti- Counterfeiting Consumer Education and Awareness Month. Seventy years ago, the Lanham Act was signed by President Harry Truman to establish remedies for brand owners suffering from trademark infringement and to protect consumers from counterfeit products. It is this very law that has laid the foundation for modern trademark protection and led to a tremendous increase in the use of trademarks. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, in 2012, approximately 24 million trademarks were in force around the world. Further, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports that 31 percent of all jobs in the United States are in intellectual property-intensive industries. Despite the legal framework currently in place to protect against counterfeiting, trademark-related crimes are one of the fastest growing economic problems worldwide. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, manufacturing, trade, and consumption of counterfeit products continues to increase, escalating from $250 billion in 2008 to $461 billion in 2013.…”