This past Wednesday, on the 22nd of May, the commission of theft of American intellectual property reported that the Chinese government’s policies causes the United States to lose upwards of 200 billion US dollars annually from the theft of intellectual property. The report also mentions India, Venezuela, and Russia as the other major nations causing the United States loss.
The report points the finger mainly at cyber criminals, although does acknowledge that traditional methods of copyright theft (such as bribery) are by no means antiquated.
The question now arises as what the United States’ Government should do to protect the intellectual property of their industries. As it currently stands, it seems to me that the United States has seemingly exhausted its options in regards to the methods of protecting intellectual property (without fundamentally breaching the right to privacy).
This issue may simply be one of politics rather than one of intellectual property. The United States may put the pressure on foreign governments by making sure they are doing what they can do to stop the theft of intellectual property. However, as more of the developing world starts getting access to easier ways to steal intellectual property (namely the internet) it is clear that something must be done.
Sources:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/470521/20130523/china-hacking-intellectual-property-theft-cyber-crime.htm
http://www.stripes.com/protect-us-intellectual-property-from-foreign-theft-1.222544
http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21578405-it-time-retaliate-against-cyber-thieves-fighting-chinas-hackers?zid=317&ah=8a47fc455a44945580198768fad0fa41
