Official Transcripts
Transcript of Interview with Chris Israel, Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement
Moscow
February 28, 2006
U.S. Department of Commerce
by Russian NTV television network Correspondent Fyodor Tavrovskiy
NTV Correspondent Fyodor Tavrovskiy: So, the first question. So there is a kind of a technological race between pirates and the governments. And it seems to me that the pirates are always one step ahead and the governments are losing this technological race. So will it be possible or not to win technologically or will you have to resort to crude force, to police raids, and so on and so forth?
Chris Israel: Well I think we have to take an approach that addresses both issues. You're right, the pirates are sophisticated; they're global – and that's certainly the thing we're here to talk this week about – the need for governments to be sophisticated and aggressive as well. It will take working on technological solutions; it will take working as very effective and sustainable enforcement authorities to gain the upper hand on the pirates and to address the problem very effectively.
Tavrovskiy: Another question about the cooperation of the Russian authorities. So, I think that the cooperation is OK on the top level, but what about the officials – the local officials? Do they cooperate or do they, in fact, try to sabotage the efforts of the governments?
Chris Israel: I can only really address our conversations with the national authorities this week, and that we've had very frequently in the past. We've seen very effective steps being taken by leaders in Russia. We're encouraged by those and we certainly are working with the Russian officials to make sure that the leadership shown at the national level does have an impact at the local level as well.
Tavrovskiy: And, in the newspapers, you're called an anti-piracy tsar – by the way, it's a Russian word – do you feel like one?
Chris Israel: I don't necessarily feel like a tsar. I think we're taking a very – we're trying to take a very workman-like approach to this job and we're very appreciative of the attention that we're seeing to the issue by Russian leaders. We're anxious to continue to work with them; we see tremendous opportunity to make progress. We'll continue to remain engaged and work in a very effective way.
Tavrovskiy: And do you think that the big companies like Microsoft should also take steps and lower the price for their production on the markets – like the Russian market – because, for instance, if a legal copy of Microsoft Office is $300 and the illegal is $2, I think that even the most law-abiding citizens like me will buy the $2 version. But if it were, for instance, fifty dollars, then I'll think about buying a legal one.
Chris Israel: Well I think we need to be focused on two things: first of all we need to remain very focused on the underlying criminal activity that is supporting the piracy and theft of intellectual property – that's what we need to focus on. We need to also be focused on the fact that this piracy and counterfeiting cuts to the heart of the ability of the Russian economy – of all economies around the world – to be innovative, to create new companies, and to reward innovation and creativity and entrepreneurship. It's not merely an issue of price; the price of a product is best left to the discretion of the market. I think the issue the governments need to address in order to build strong and dynamic and competitive economies is the ability to protect intellectual property and to nurture creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs so they're successful in that marketplace and can compete based on their ideas in a fair and effective way.
Tavrovskiy: And the final question: do you perhaps plan a personal visit to some, like markets selling DVDs and pirated software and so on – there are plenty of them in Moscow.
Chris Israel: I understand that they're not necessarily difficult to find. We've driven by a few, I've seen a few, I've been – I've spoken to a number of industry business leaders over the last couple of days who have shown me some of the product that they see here. So I'm fairly well aware of the types of products and the environment in which it's being distributed here, in Moscow. And this trip has been very helpful in providing better background and better context for the challenges that are being faced here in Russia.
Tavrovskiy: Thank you very much.
Chris Israel: Thank you