On November 9, the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator released a forward-looking plan to continue America’s bipartisan tradition of strong intellectual property policy and enforcement. The plan includes a vital commitment to review the impact of the copyright safe harbor in Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (1998) on IP protection and enforcement domestically and around the world.

RIAA’s Senior Vice President of International Policy George York issued the following statement in response to this critical development:

“RIAA welcomes the release of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator’s Joint Strategic Plan and its support for strong copyright protection and enforcement for American creators. In particular, we strongly support the Plan’s focus on continuing the review of outdated U.S. copyright safe harbors, which is vital to the long term growth of the U.S. creative economy – one of the most powerful positive contributors to the balance of trade. Given that the copyright safe harbors are currently undergoing re-evaluation in Congress and that both the current Administration and President-elect Biden have previously criticized overbroad immunity, it is no time to lock old flawed laws into trade agreements or otherwise pre-empt congressional reform. We applaud the inclusion of this vital piece of the IPEC’s Joint Strategic Plan and look forward to the new Administration carrying it forward to build on former Vice President and Senator Biden’s longstanding commitment to strong intellectual property laws that boost innovation and protect America’s artists and creators.”