Intellectual Property: Observations on Efforts to Quantify the Economic Effects of Counterfeit and Pirated Goods

Citation
Government Accountability Office, Intellectual Property: Observations on Efforts to Quantify the Economic Effects of Counterfeit and Pirated Goods (Apr. 2010) (full-text).

Overview
In October 2008, Congress passed the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008 (PRO-IP Act), to improve the effectiveness of U.S. government efforts to protect intellectual property (IP) rights such as copyrights, patents, and trademarks. The Act also directed the GAO to provide information on the quantification of the impacts of counterfeit and pirated goods. The GAO (1) examined existing research on the effects of counterfeiting and piracy on consumers, industries, government, and the U.S. economy; and (2) identified insights gained from efforts to quantify the effects of counterfeiting and piracy on the U.S. economy.