Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property

The Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property is an independent and bipartisan initiative of leading Americans from the private sector, public service in national security and foreign affairs, academe, and politics. On May 22, 2013, the IP Commission released its original report. On February 27, 2017, the IP Commission released an update that provides a new assessment of the problem and details progress to date on recommendations from the 2013 IP Commission Report.

Recent Developments, New Research, and Updated Recommendations

On March 15, 2021, the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property (IP Commission) released the IP Commission 2021 Review to offer updated policy recommendations.

• IP Commission 2021 Review: Updated Recommendations (March 2021).
• IP Commission Background Memo (March 2021).

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“The IP Commission has long argued that the best way to reduce the scale and scope of IP theft is to fundamentally change the calculus for individual bad actors, and subjecting them to targeted U.S. sanctions accomplishes that objective. This legislation is an excellent and long overdue first step.”

 

—Admiral (ret.) Dennis Blair, Press Release, “New Law Protects U.S. Trade Secrets, Accomplishes IP Commission Recommendation” (Read the full press release.)

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On February 21, 2019, the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property (IP Commission) released the IP Commission 2019 Review to (1) highlight recent developments, (2) review new research that demonstrates the continued salience of IP protection to U.S. competitiveness, and (3) offer updated policy recommendations.

• IP Commission 2019 Review: Progress and Updated Recommendations (February 2019).

On March 8, 2018, the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property (IP Commission) provided policy recommendations for consideration by the Trump administration in response to the Section 301 investigation of Chinese theft of intellectual property (IP) and forced technology transfer:

• Recommendations Regarding the Trump Administration’s Section 301 Investigation (March 2018)
• Written Comments on Behalf of the Commission on the Theft of Intellectual Property to the United States Trade Representative (May 2018)

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Report

Commission Members

Chair

Dennis C. Blair
Knott Professor of the Practice at the University of North Carolina, former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, and former U.S. director of national intelligence

Co-Chair Emeritus

Jon M. Huntsman, Jr.
Former ambassador of the United States to Russia, China, and Singapore, governor of the State of Utah, and deputy U.S. trade representative

Charles W. Boustany Jr.
Counselor to the National Bureau of Asian Research, former six-term U.S. representative from Louisiana

William J. Lynn III
CEO of Leonardo DRS

Deborah Wince-Smith
President and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness

Michael K. Young
President emeritus of Texas A&M University, professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Administration at Texas A&M University

Commission Directors

Executive Director

Roy Kamphausen
President
The National Bureau of Asian Research

Executive Director (emeritus)

Richard J. Ellings
President Emeritus and Counselor
The National Bureau of Asian Research

About the Commission

The three purposes of the Commission are to:

• Document and assess the causes, scale, and other major dimensions of international intellectual property theft as they affect the United States.
• Document and assess the role of China in international intellectual property theft.
• Propose appropriate U.S. policy responses that would mitigate ongoing and future damage and obtain greater enforcement of intellectual property rights by China and other infringers.
• The IP Commission was supported by unrestricted funding provided by NBR and its Slade Gorton International Policy Center.

PRESS RELEASES, TESTIMONY, AND MEDIA MENTIONS

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