Our Beliefs about Intellectual Property: The undersigned groups and individuals believe that strong intellectual property (“IP”) rights are a pillar of America’s economic strength and global leadership. Policymakers must take affirmative steps to ensure that intellectual property rights in America remain strong both domestically and the gold-standard globally. Robust and predictable IP rights promote innovation and creativity by granting enforceable exclusive rights to authors and inventors. Patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets create the legal framework that enables investment in new and improved creations and innovations. A robust innovation economy simply cannot happen without a reliable IP system. IP empowers individuals and firms to develop their creative and inventive capacities to the fullest with the ability to seek a return on their investment. From governments to academic research institutions, to businesses large and small, IP righ