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The Recording Industry Association of America is very pleased that the Indian and U.S. governments appear to be moving forward on a path that recognizes our mutual interests in securing the effective protection of intellectual property. The respective U.S. and Indian music sectors have long recognized this commonality, and we have strongly supported the efforts of our colleagues in India to secure the kind of protection that would permit expanded investment in cultural production.

On Capitol Hill today, the Congressional International Creativity and Theft-Prevention Caucus (formerly known as the International Anti-Piracy Caucus) discussed the importance of taking the profit out of online content theft by developing more robust engagement on the part of advertisers and ad networks, and addressing the activities of rogue sites like Russia’s vKontakte – a long-standing IP violator that is repeatedly featured in USTR’s “notorious markets” report. The caucus highlighted the continuing problems in Switzerland, China, Russia and India, and praised developments in Italy and the Philippines that led to their removal from USTR’s Special 301 lists.

Progress In Some Countries, But Russia, Switzerland, Other Nations Fail to Implement Adequate IP Protections

Last week witnessed a number of interesting and encouraging developments concerning the articulation of principles to guide decision-making in connection with Internet governance. For far too long, discussions of have been marked by extreme partisanship and hyperbole, but last week’s events in Brazil suggest that a more reasonable consensus may finally be emerging.

A federal indictment is appropriate, but so is holding Megaupload and its operators accountable for the blatant harm caused to the music community, says RIAA

Today, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released its report highlighting markets around the world in which the theft of U.S. intellectual property is open and notorious. Included in its report were a number of online sites that have a uniquely prejudicial impact on the ability to develop viable legitimate online music marketplaces in some key territories, and whose practices are particularly intolerable. There are three in particular that jump off the page: Russia’s vKontakte, Ukraine’s ex.ua, and Vietnam’s Zing.

As Sochi Olympics Continue, Spotlight Shines Bright On Russia's Most Popular Social Network

Today our colleagues at the International Intellectual Property Association (IIPA) submitted, on behalf of us and other creative industry organizations, a report to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on recommended reforms “needed to address the theft of intellectual property and other barriers to overseas markets faced by U.S. industries that rely on copyright protection.” That submission was part of the USTR’s annual so-called “Special 301” process. You can read more details here.

WASHINGTON—Senators Hatch and Baucus and Congressman Camp recently introduced the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014 that will extend Trade Promotion Authority to give direction to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) so that it can effectively negotiate trade agreements that will expand opportunities in foreign markets for U.S. companies and promote job expansion.

Holy trillion! The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) – of which RIAA is a member – recently issued its report titled Copyright Industries in the U.S. Economy: The 2013 Report that lists some statistics on the value provided by U.S. copyright industries – think music, movies, books, software, video games, and other sectors – to the U.S. economy, and they paint a compelling picture.