Asst. Deputy Director of DHS Keynotes: Intellectual Property Enforcement: Where Does the Law Need to be Updated?

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BroadbandBreakfast.com presents

The Intellectual Property Breakfast Club

Event

Intellectual Property Enforcement:

Where Does the Law Need to be Updated?

In March this year, the White House' U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator issued a package of legislative recommendations on updating U.S. intellectual property law. The Coordinator addressed some of the challenges and issues that the US government faces when enforcing the law, and suggested updates as a result. See the blog post on the subject, at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/03/15/concrete-steps-congress-can-take-protect-americas-intellectual-property. Additionally, the report outlining the recommendations is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/ip_white_paper.pdf

Taken in all, the Administration recommends a series of reforms that would increase penalties for specific kinds of offenses, as well as for recidivist infringers. The reforms would also give the federal government more power when investigating criminal copyright and trademark cases by granting the ability to wiretap suspects in those cases.

Among other things, the administration also recommends that Congress clarifies what the term "streaming" on the internet means, and criminalize "infringement by streaming," or "by means of other similar new technology."

This panel will explore the issues that led up to some of these recommendations.

Keynote Speaker:

Erik R. Barnett, Assistant Deputy Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security 

Mr. Barnett’s responsibilities include policy and operational guidance on intellectual property theft enforcement, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, human rights violations and war crimes, counter-proliferation, child exploitation, and international organized crime. Mr. Barnett is also the senior advisor to the Director of ICE for the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. Prior to joining ICE, Mr. Barnett was a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Mr. Barnett handled a wide range of criminal cases including fraud and government corruption, money laundering, violent crime, and firearms offenses. Mr. Barnett joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2002 as a member of the Major Crimes Unit. Mr. Barnett received a Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. In 2007, Mr. Barnett was appointed by the Deputy Attorney General to be a Justice Department fellow for the Senate Judiciary Committee and the staff of Assistant Majority Leader, Senator Richard Durbin. Mr. Barnett was subsequently appointed by the Assistant Attorney General as a Deputy Chief of the Domestic Security Section in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, working on international criminal matters, including human rights violations and violent crimes committed by U.S. contractors overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. From 1995 – 2002, Mr. Barnett was a state prosecutor in Alexandria, Virginia and before his career as a prosecutor, he worked for two members of the U.S. House of Representatives as a legislative assistant and press secretary. From 2003 – 2008, Mr. Barnett was an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School and is currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s law school.

Panelists:

Erik R. Barnett, Assistant Deputy Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (see bio above)

Jason Gull is a Senior Counsel, Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) of the United States Department of Justice

Jason Gull prosecutes criminal copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property offenses, and advises federal prosecutors and investigators on intellectual property, computer crime, and electronic evidence issues.  In addition to prosecution, he works with other DOJ and federal government components on development and review of legislative and policy proposals related to intellectual property enforcement. Prior to joining CCIPS in 2001, Mr. Gull practiced civil litigation and criminal defense with the law firms of Jenner & Block and Heller Ehrman.

David McClure, President and CEO, US Internet Industry Association (USIIA)

McClure has held management positions in the Internet, broadband, computing, aerospace and environmental services industries.  In 2007, he was appointed by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to serve a three-year term on the Universal Service Administrative Corporation (USAC) board. Active in the online community since 1983, he has written and lectured extensively on management and technology issues, and is an authority on technology applications for business and global Internet policy.  He regularly speaks at telecommunications industry events and is active in global conferences related to governance of the Internet.  In addition, he is a regular contributor to business and broadband publications, has authored more than 35 white papers related to the Internet and technology, and consults with government and Internet organizations worldwide. In 2004, he was honored with a Cornerstone Award for leadership in the broadband industry.

M. Luisa Simpson, Executive Director, International Copyright Enforcement & Trade Policy, Association of American Publishers

 Lui Simpson joined the Association of American Publishers (AAP) in August 2009 as Executive Director for International Copyright Enforcement and Trade Policy.  Lui manages the association’s enforcement program in several Asian markets and the association’s engagement on copyright, technology, and international trade policy issues with both U.S. and foreign governments. Prior to joining AAP, Lui was Senior Counsel for Intellectual Property Policy at the Entertainment Software Association, where she developed the industry’s Statement of Principles on ISP Responsibility, as well as industry positions concerning a variety of copyright and trade-related issues. Lui holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree and a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree in International and Comparative Law.

Lui Simpson joined the Association of American Publishers (AAP) in August 2009 as Executive Director for International Copyright Enforcement and Trade Policy.  Lui manages the association’s enforcement program in several Asian markets and the association’s engagement on copyright, technology, and international trade policy issues with both U.S. and foreign governments. Prior to joining AAP, Lui was Senior Counsel for Intellectual Property Policy at the Entertainment Software Association, where she developed the industry’s Statement of Principles on ISP Responsibility, as well as industry positions concerning a variety of copyright and trade-related issues. Lui holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree and a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree in International and Comparative Law.

 Chun T. Wright, President, Law Office of Chun T. Wright

Chun T. Wright, President, Law Office of Chun T. Wright

Chun T. Wright runs a Washington, D.C.-based law firm that specializes in intellectual property enforcement, as well as Internet and technology law. Prior to founding her firm, Ms. Wright served as Vice President, Anti-Piracy Legal Affairs, for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) in Washington, D.C. Ms. Wright also litigated for several years at major law firms in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Wright represented prominent Internet and technology businesses, start-ups, and multinational companies involving cutting-edge issues, including intellectual property, Internet law, privacy, and content regulation. Ms. Wright also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for four years. After law school, Ms. Wright served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Emilio M. Garza of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Ms. Wright received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and her B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Wright is admitted to the State Bar of California and the District of Columbia Bar, and admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and other federal courts.

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Now is an exciting time for copyright and patent experts to gather in a neutral forum to discuss the policy, business, legal and technological issues surrounding intellectual property on the internet.

BroadbandBreakfast.com is thus hosting a new monthly Intellectual Property Breakfast Club, meeting on the Second Tuesday of the month to complement our successful Broadband Breakfast Club.

Intellectual property advocates, policy-makers, journalists, top officials and the general public, all seeking to trade insights on these important issues, are invited to attend this event of the BroadbandBreakfast.com, an online news service focusing on internet policy and intellectual property.

This event is on the record and open to the public. 

For News and Events on BroadbandBreakfast.com follow us at

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Event Details

Title: Intellectual Property Enforcement: Where does the Law Need to Be Updated?

Date: Tuesday, May 10th, 2011, 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. 

Where: Clyde's of Gallery Place, 707 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001

The breakfast begins at 8 a.m., followed by a discussion, beginning shortly after 8:30 a.m. and ending by 10 a.m.

The event will be hosted and moderated by Drew Clark, Chairman and Founder, BroadbandBreakfast.com, a news and events company building a community around broadband stimulus, the national broadband plan, and intellectual property.  Drew Clark has a long-standing reputation for fairness and depth in his reporting. He worked for the National Journal Group for eight years, ran the telecommunications and media ownership project of the Center for Public Integrity, and was Assistant Director of the Information Economy Project at George Mason University. He has written widely on the politics of telecom, media and technology for a variety of publications, including the Washington Post, GigaOm, Slate, and Ars Technica. Drew launched BroadbandCensus.com in January 2008 as a means of providing objective information about broadband speeds, prices, availability, reliability and competition.

The Intellectual Property Breakfast Club is a "widely attended event" under House of Representatives Rule 25, clause 5(a)(4)(A).

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