WASHINGTON – The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), the global voice of the tech sector, released a statement today from Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Andy Halataei praising lawmakers for passing the bipartisan Defend Trade Secrets Act (S. 1890), calling on President Barack Obama to sign the measure into law.

“Tech companies and startups are being targeted by cybercriminals and espionage syndicates who steal the advances companies have worked for years and spent billions of dollars to create through research and development,” Halataei said. “It’s not a victimless crime because it robs from our ability to innovate, grow our economy and create new jobs. We look forward to President Obama signing this bill and having a strong federal law on the books that will put teeth into enforcement and set an important example internationally.”

ITI told lawmakers in both the House and Senate that it considers the bipartisan trade secrets bill a key vote for the tech industry. In January, the group began encouraging lawmakers to create a new civil federal trade secrets law to replace the patchwork of state laws that has led to haphazard enforcement. The measure easily found bipartisan support and advanced quickly over the last few months.

“Our thanks to Senators Orin Hatch (R-Utah) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Congressmen Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) for partnering in a bipartisan manner to craft this bill and working with their respective party leaders to move it through Congress successfully,” Halataei said. “This effort shows what can be accomplished when lawmakers can work together to find solutions, and we hope they can build on this momentum by next addressing the flaws in our patent system that are holding back the next generation of advances.”

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