United States Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (Democrat, Montana) and ranking member Chuck Grassley (Republican, Iowa) this week requested a US government investigation of the effect of China’s IP rights infringement on American jobs.
They allege China’s infringement is estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of American jobs per year and sent a letter to US International Trade Commission (ITC) it to provide two reports over the next year “quantifying the effect on American competitiveness of China’s IP rights infringement,” according to a committee press release, which includes the letter. The ITC was also asked to look into “how China’s policies favoring home-grown or ‘indigenous’ innovation can have a negative effect on US companies operating in the Chinese market, which can affect the ability of those companies to create jobs here at home,” the release said.
The formal request, sent on 19 April, triggers the ITC’s undertaking and completion of the two reports, the release said.