H. Res. 1208 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

April 27, 2010. 

Whereas intellectual property is the backbone of the economic 

competitiveness of the United States and the only economic sector in which the United States has a trade surplus with every nation in the world; 

Whereas well over 50 percent of United States exports now 

depend on some form of intellectual property, compared 

to less than 10 percent 50 years ago; 

Whereas intangible assets that stem from intellectual property, such as high-value services, global branding, technological know-how, and scientific research, must be recognized as cornerstones in achieving economic recovery and 

creating jobs; 

Whereas intellectual property assets today represent more 

than one third of the value of United States-based corporations and more than 17 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States; 

Whereas intellectual property plays a significant role in an increasingly broad range of services, ranging from the 

Internet to health care to nearly all aspects of science 

and technology and literature and the arts, and the potential for innovation and invention must be fostered as 

its greatest attribute; 
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•HRES 1208 EH 

Whereas the United States and all countries share the challenge of combating piracy and counterfeiting of intellectual property, including illicit trade in life-saving drugs, 

cutting edge technologies, film, music, books, and inventions that affect the quality of life; 

Whereas the piracy and counterfeiting of intellectual property 

have a significant impact on economies around the world, 

translate into lost jobs, lost earnings, and lost tax revenues, and threaten public health and safety; 

Whereas the World Intellectual Property Organization, with 

184 member states, is the primary organization in the 

world focused on the development and protection of intellectual property rights for all creators and all countries; 

Whereas World Intellectual Property Day provides an opportunity to reflect on how intellectual property touches all 

aspects of people’s lives, how copyright helps music to be 

heard and art, films, and literature to be seen, how industrial design helps shape the world in which people live, 

how trademarks provide reliable signs of quality, and how 

patenting helps promote ingenious inventions that make 

life easier, faster, safer, and sometimes completely 

changes the way people live; 

Whereas the theme of 2010 World Intellectual Property Day 

is ‘‘Innovation-Linking the World’’, and presents an opportunity to champion the role of intellectual property 

rights in providing incentives for the development of the 

innovative solutions needed to meet today’s global challenges while creating jobs and stimulating the United 

States economy; 
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•HRES 1208 EH 

Whereas April 26, 1970, was the date on which the Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization entered into force; 

Whereas, in 2000, member states of the World Intellectual 

Property Organization established World Intellectual 

Property Day to celebrate the contribution made by 

innovators and artists to the development and growth of 

societies across the globe and to highlight the importance 

and practical use of intellectual property in everyone’s 

daily lives; and 

Whereas April 26, 2010, has been designated as World Intellectual Property Day, a time to celebrate the importance 

of intellectual property to the United States and the 

world: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) supports the goals of World Intellectual Property Day to promote, inform, and teach the importance 

of intellectual property as a tool for economic, social, 

and cultural development; 

(2) recognizes the ever-increasing importance of intellectual property and the new challenges and serious 

threats to its protection, which affect prospects for future growth of the United States economy; 

(3) supports robust and ongoing efforts to protect 

the health and well-being of citizens in the United States 

from fraudulent and illegal counterfeiting and piracy; 

(4) congratulates the World Intellectual Property 

Organization for building awareness of the value of intel-
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•HRES 1208 EH 

lectual property and developing the necessary infrastructure to help citizens take full advantage of their own creativity; and 

(5) applauds the ongoing contributions of human 

creativity and intellectual property to growth and innovation and for the key role they play in promoting and 

ensuring a brighter and stronger future for the United 

States and the world. 

Attest: 

Clerk.