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Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Press release29 November 2011Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Victoria Espinel: closer US-EU cooperation for the protection of intellectual property rights online

"The Internet doesn't have any borders, and neither does intellectual property!", said Marielle Gallo MEP at the opening of her IP Forum, which 200 people attended on November 22, including MEPs, representatives from the European Commission and consumer and industry organisations.

At the meeting of Culture and Intellectual Property Ministers, dedicated to issues related to the future of creation in the digital age that was organised in the framework of the French Presidency of the G8 on November 17 and 18, one observation has become clear: intellectual property is key for innovation, and it is the main lever for growth in the world economy.

As a follow-up to the reflections of political leaders, Marielle Gallo MEP invited Victoria Espinel, White House US IP Enforcement Coordinator, to Brussels. Together, they compared the US and EU visions, underlining the need to reach a coherent and cooperative approach as regards online IP enforcement between the two continents.

"Like the United States, the European Union must go further and the European Commission must come up with a revision of Directive 2004/48 as soon as possible to adapt to the challenges of digital economy", Marielle Gallo concluded.

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