WASHINGTON– The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) issued the following statement from Miguel Martinez, director of government affairs and tax policy counsel, in support of bipartisan Trade Secrets Protection Act of 2014 introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives today:

“ITI commends the great bipartisan work of Reps. George Holding (R-NC), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Howard Coble (R-NC), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Steve Chabot (R-OH) and John Conyers (D-MI) in introducing the Trade Secrets Protection Act of 2014.  Intellectual property is the lifeblood of the tech sector and trade secrets are an important part of that.  As technology improves, it has become easier for people to steal trade secrets, robbing companies and the economy of years of development and institutional knowledge built into the products Americans rely on and use every day.  The Trade Secrets Protection Act makes great strides towards addressing this problem which affects not only the tech sector, but anyone who makes anything in America.  With broad support from a wide spectrum of industries, it is our hope and belief that members of Congress can tackle this issue this year.  We look forward to working with them.”

About ITI.  ITI is the premier advocacy and policy organization for the world’s leading innovation companies. ITI navigates the relationships between policymakers, companies, and non-governmental organizations, providing creative solutions that advance the development and use of technology around the world. Visit itic.org to learn more. Follow us on Twitter @ITI_TechTweets.