Apparel and Footwear Industry Praises USTR Release of Special 301 Report on Intellectual Property

April 27, 2018 | WASHINGTON, D.C

Today, the American Apparel & Footwear Association praised the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) following the release of its annual Special 301 Review. The report identifies foreign countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. entities that rely upon intellectual property protection. Apparel, footwear, travel goods, and related products are regularly found on official lists of counterfeit product seizures.

“The Special 301 Review by USTR is essential in the protection of intellectual property, and serves as an important benchmark for improvements in intellectual property protection around the world. We thank USTR for considering the experiences of our members when compiling this report, and highlighting the importance of intellectual property enforcement measures,” said Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. “Preventing intellectual property theft is essential for U.S. businesses and the growth of U.S. jobs. We encourage the administration to continue to use tools like this report to promote better enforcement against counterfeits.”

The American Apparel & Footwear Association submitted written comments and testified as part of USTR’s review process for this report.