There are 11 million artists and creators living and working across the U.S. They expand our horizons, help us understand ourselves and our communities, and entertain and enrich our lives. They also fuel local economies as taxpayers, small businesses and innovators.

In California, that's more than 200,000 jobs from the motion picture and television industries alone. In Virginia, the software industry provides over $525 million in wages.  Today's report issued from the Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator validates the value the creative community brings. 

"Protecting innovation is fundamental to our country's competitiveness in the global economy," said Victoria Espinel, U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator. "This is especially true at a time when job creation is among our most urgent tasks. We must stop intellectual property theft and piracy which harm our businesses and threaten American jobs." 

The annual report, required by the PRO-IP Act of 2008, outlines the Administration's activities to improve intellectual property enforcement as outlined in the Office’s 2010 Joint Strategic Plan. In particular the report highlights the Administration’s increased law enforcement action against pirated goods over the past year and its increased focus on China as the number one source of infringing products seized at the U.S. border. It also notes the progress of the legislative reforms the Office recommended to Congress in March of 2011 to strengthen IP enforcement and touts the role the Office played in establishing the Copyright Alert System as well as voluntary best practices for payment processors to reduce sales of pirated goods over the internet.