December 13, 2007

(Washington, D.C.) – Stealing intellectual property also steals jobs, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa told a congressional panel on Thursday.

In testimony today before the Congressional Subcommittee on Courts, The Internet, and Intellectual Property, Hoffa threw his support behind H.R. 4279, a bipartisan bill that would raise fines for copyright infringement and give the government more power to enforce already existing intellectual property laws.

Hoffa expressed his concern with the ever-growing negative impact counterfeit products from overseas and pirated media has on corporate health which in turn leads to job loss and the deterioration of the American economy.

“Some people might think it’s no big deal to buy a knock-off handbag or fake DVD, but it is,” Hoffa said. “These crimes kill jobs—good jobs that my union has fought to protect for more than a hundred years.”

Hoffa pointed to statistics that estimate that approximately 370,000 jobs in the American entertainment industry are lost every year as a result of the lost revenue from pirated and counterfeited media. Hoffa testified that China is the greatest source of knockoff and pirated goods in the world and our government has done little to stop the flood of illegal, substandard products into our country.

“China’s aggressive export agenda is more than our country can handle,” Hoffa said. “The parts of the bill that create new Intellectual Property Enforcement positions within the executive branch will help us get control of the problem.”

However, Hoffa also stressed the need to raise awareness with consumers who may not realize the impact their actions have on the economy when they illegally copy a song or movie.

“Education will be important to our success,” said Hoffa. “An entire generation of iPod and internet users are growing up believing piracy isn’t a crime. The Teamsters Union supports our brothers and sisters in the Writers Guild as they fight for their fair share of profit from new media. If piracy goes unchecked, it will directly affect the writers who provide the content that makes the motion picture and television industry run.”

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

Read Hoffa's testimony before Congress.