U.S. Book Publishers Applaud Work of Congressional Anti-Piracy Caucus; Efforts “Sustain the Quality and Integrity of American Publishing”
Thursday, 26 May 2011 | Andi Sporkin
Washington, DC; May 26, 2011—The Association of American Publishers (AAP), the trade association for the U.S. book and journal publishing industry, expressed thanks to the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus (IAPC) today for its continued commitment to promote IPR legal reform and enforcement with America’s trading partners.
Today, the Caucus released the 2011 IAPC Watch List which names five countries in which digital piracy remains inadequately addressed: Canada, China, Russia, Spain and Ukraine. The Caucus is chaired by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) and Representatives Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Adam B. Schiff (D-CA).
“The work of the Caucus, in particular the spotlight it shines on Watch List countries, is important to the protection of intellectual property in the book publishing industry and among all content providers. These efforts help preserve and enhance our country’s competitive advantage, sustain the quality and integrity of American publishing and protect more than 200,000 jobs in our industry alone,” said Tom Allen, President and Chief Executive Officer, AAP.
Book and journal publishers continue to be affected by piracy of printed materials but the rapid growth of online piracy now affects all segments of the publishing industry. Websites operating in China and Russia provide unauthorized digital or scanned copies of U.S. books and journals, undermining the market for legitimate products. For instance, certain commercial online entities in China continue to disseminate electronic copies of scientific and medical journal articles without compensation to or permission from the publisher.
About the Association of American Publishers: Three hundred U.S. book and journal publishers are members of AAP, the national trade association. They represent the nation’s major commercial, educational and professional publishing houses as well as scholarly societies, university presses and smaller and non-profit publishers.
AAP contact:
Andi Sporkin — asporkin@publishers.org