To oversee this challenge the President appointed Victoria Espinel as Copyright Czar and today she released the 2013 strategic plan on intellectual property enforcement.

The report begins with a summary of all advances made since the first plan was issued three years ago. Among other things it mentions the Megaupload raid and the ‘Operation in Our Sites’ domain name seizures as recent accomplishments.

However, the Copyright Czar also stresses that progress can be made without ongoing government intervention. The administration therefore actively encourages voluntary initiatives by the private sector, and the six-strikes anti-piracy scheme is held up as a prime example.

The initiative is a collaboration between the MPAA, RIAA and five major Internet providers, who founded the Center for Copyright Information (CCI). The alert system launched in February and since then thousands of subscribers have received warnings that their Internet connections have been used to share copyrighted material.

“At the Center for Copyright Information we are pleased that the Copyright Alert System was highlighted as an important example of voluntary efforts in the private sector to protect intellectual property,” commented CCI’s executive director Jill Lesser. “We look forward to working with the Administration on this important issue.”

In addition to the six-strikes system the report also mentions other voluntary anti-piracy agreements in other sectors, including advertisers, credit card companies and domain registrars. All these collaborations are aimed at reducing online piracy and counterfeiting.

Looking ahead, the Copyright Czar also highlights new technologies that will warrant attention in the future.

“As we move forward, we are aware that new technologies, evolving social norms, new business models, and novel global distribution mechanisms will present new challenges and opportunities to combat infringement of American intellectual property rights.

“Among these trends and innovations are increases in the power and prevalence of cloud computing, mobile computing, data storage, database management, information security, increased interoperability, and 3D printing.”

Espinel mentions the increase in use of mobile devices, which has its positive sides, but also introduces the problem of infringing apps. She notes that every new innovation has both up and downsides, and as expected 3D printing is no exception.

“Whether it is the hobbyist in the garage coming up with a prototype for a new gadget to make our lives easier or the scientist producing life-saving medical devices, 3D printing brings with it a new set of opportunities for rapid and efficient trade, innovation, and creativity,” the report reads.

“And, just as 3D printing offers the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to our society, there also exists the opportunity for individuals who look to exploit others’ hard work to abuse this technology by trading in counterfeit and pirated goods, of which we must be cognizant and diligent in our efforts to prevent.”

While the Obama administration is aware of the enforcement challenges 3D printing presents, there is no mention of any specific intervention to target this threat. We can, however, expect it to become a more prominent issue in the years to come.

In the near future the U.S. will mostly continue down the same path. This means protecting rightsholders both offline and on, through domestic action, international partnerships and voluntary agreements in the private sector.

“Moving forward, the Administration will continue to improve upon these efforts. We will focus on infringement that has a significant impact on the economy, the global economic competitiveness of the United States, the security of our Nation, and the health and safety of the American public,” Espinel concludes.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill introduced by U.S. Representative Lamar S. Smith, would have bolstered the powers of law enforcement while compelling ISPs, search engines, advertisers and payment processors to stop doing business with and cease providing access to allegedly infringing websites.

In January 2012 the backlash was huge, with a coordinated blackout receiving support from sites such as Google, Wikipedia and Reddit. Eventually, key supporters of the legislation such as the RIAA and MPAA had to concede the battle had been lost.

With the train wreck of SOPA providing valuable lessons, some pro-copyright advocates in the U.S. are beginning to realize that legislation is only part of the solution. Virginian Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, recently said that copyright protection can also be achieved by other routes, such as through voluntary agreements with the private sector.

This theme was maintained yesterday by United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator for the White House, Victoria Espinel. Delivering a keynote speech at the World Creators Summit in Washington D.C, the ‘copyright czar’ spoke of the importance of employing a multi-directional approach to dealing with the issue of online infringement.

“We believe that if we target infringement using a variety of approaches and tools at the same time we can make some headway and reduce infringement online and protect the creativity that our artists and artists around the world create while supporting the benefits the Internet creates,” she said.

Espinel noted that “there is no silver bullet” to ending online piracy but that a combination of tools will yield results.

“We, the Obama Administration, believe that a combination of law enforcement, voluntary private sector initiatives, engagement with other countries and consumer education is effective and appropriate.”

Perhaps the most public of the private sector agreements is the one between several of the largest ISPs in the United States and the content industries represented by the RIAA and MPAA. The so-called “six strikes” initiative got underway in February.

“The goal of this agreement and under the terms of the agreement, they will notify subscribers through a series of educational alerts when their Internet service accounts appear to be misused for infringement on P2P networks,” Espinel said.

The copyright czar also noted other voluntary initiatives underway involving advertisers, credit card companies, payment processors and domain name registrars. These will continue, she said, with a view to developing “voluntary effective ways to take action to avoid supporting infringement activity.”

As previously reported, the ISPs involved in the so-called “six strikes” scheme have been keen to emphasize that any voluntary agreements with other private sector companies will not infringe on consumer rights. Espinel said that the Obama Administration supports initiatives that “respect privacy, due process, free speech and competition.”

Solutions must also be practical, she said, and “truly work to protect legitimate uses of the Internet. The U.S. Government should also “look for ways that we can help facilitate smooth and efficient access to creative content.”

While voluntary agreements do have some benefits, such as avoiding tough legislation that could cause collateral damage, so far there have been few signs of the kind of transparency that can promote consumer confidence in the activities currently taking place behind closed doors.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.