- multilateral fora to improve the global IPR environment. In addition to the work listed above, we anticipate engaging with our trading partners in initiatives such as the U.S.-EU Summit, our trilateral cooperation with Canada and Mexico, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and other multilateral and regional fora.
Capacity Building Efforts
In addition to identifying concerns, this Report also highlights opportunities for the U.S. Government to work collaboratively with trading partners to address those concerns. The U.S. Government collaborates on training and IPR-related capacity building with various partner countries around the world. Both in Washington D.C. and abroad, through bilateral collaborations and in regional groupings, the U.S. Government remains engaged in building stronger, more streamlined and more effective systems for the promotion, and protection and enforcement of IPR.
For example, in the United States, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) invites training participants from around the world to its Global Intellectual Property Academy, which has over 75 training programs a year, focusing on a variety of topics from patent and trademark examination to IP management to technology transfer. Other U.S. Government agencies bring foreign government and private-sector representatives to the United States on study tours to meet with IPR professionals and visit the institutions and businesses responsible for developing, protecting and promoting IPR in the United States. One such program is the State Department's International Visitors Leadership Program, which brings groups from around the world each year to cities across the U.S. to learn more about IPR and related trade and business issues. Other U.S. Government agencies hold well-attended conferences in Washington, such as the international program conducted by the U.S. Copyright Office, cosponsored by WIPO, which in March 2010 hosted developing countries and countries in transition for training on emerging issues in copyright and related rights and issues pertaining to blind and visually impaired persons.
Overseas, the U.S. Government is also active in partnering to provide training, technical assistance, capacity building, exchange of best practices, and other collaborative activities to improve IPR protection. These activities are conducted by a number of different agencies. For example:
- The USPTO's Office of External Affairs provides capacity building in countries around the world and has developed agreements with regional and international IP organizations, such as the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and Interpol, to partner on IPR training activities.
8
