Sydney Redden
Senior Manager, IP Enforcement, Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC), U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Published
December 02, 2024
Each year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce celebrates leaders who rely on IP protection to advance cultural, scientific, and technological solutions to the world’s leading challenges. The Chamber's Global IP Champions event recognizes those who constantly demonstrate leadership, ingenuity, and creativity in pursuing strong intellectual property rights and brings together the visionaries in innovation and creativity who create jobs, underpin economic growth and enhance our shared competitiveness.
In the lead up to this year's event, the Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) is spotlighting awardees in a series of conversations about the impact of IP protection on their organizations, the intellectual property landscape, and their predictions for the future.
For this installment, I sat down with Jim Mancuso, Global Security Director at pharmaceutical leader Merck & Co., who shares his thoughts on why collaborating is critical for advancing IP initiatives, and why it's more important than ever to invest in people to meet the IP challenges now and in the future.
How does intellectual property impact your organization day to day?
In my previous role as the Director of the IPR Center and my current role in private industry, intellectual property impacts both organizations in a very similar manner. The threats and challenges associated with IP in terms of illicit medicines directly impact public health and safety. The consequences can have devastating impacts, which is why it’s critical to continue to work together to raise awareness, ensuring the public has the necessary information to make informed decisions about where and how they obtain medicines.
Can you share a specific project or initiative that you believe has made a significant impact on intellectual property?
While serving as the Director of the IPR Center, I was incredibly proud of our interagency partnerships and the launch of Operation Genuine Valor. This operation is laser-focused on protecting the health and safety of our nation’s veterans by ensuring that counterfeit pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and surgical supplies do not infiltrate the supply chain of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Given the rise in e-commerce and express consignment shipping, Operation Genuine Valor was developed to identify and mitigate threats to the U.S. pharmaceutical and medical device supply chains. The operation has achieved unprecedented success and continues to expand.
What role do you believe collaboration plays in advancing intellectual property initiatives, and can you share an example of a successful partnership you’ve been involved in?
Collaboration remains one of the most critical aspects in advancing IP-related initiatives. I’m fortunate to have served in very unique roles in terms of my experience and partnership with the GIPC, and I’ve seen the importance of GIPC collaboration from both the public and private sector perspectives. The one consistent theme has been seamless communication and collaboration between stakeholders, which directly contributes to success in countering the threats posed by illicit trade networks.
In your opinion, what are the biggest and most urgent challenges facing the intellectual property landscape today, and how can champions like you tackle these challenges?
The most significant and urgent challenges to IP remain the rapid evolution of technology and the sheer volume of products entering the commerce stream. I’ve been steadfast in my belief that if you’re serious about tackling these challenges, you must be committed to this issue for the right reasons. Whether your role is law enforcement, a trade association, or private industry, your organization must be dedicated to not only confronting the challenge but also willing to explore and invest in solutions to overcome these challenges.
How do you see intellectual property policy and enforcement evolving over the next few years?
I think the easy answer would be to insert a few lines here about the rise of AI and technology. However, I believe the evolution of IP enforcement now and in the future will always focus on the professionals who have dedicated themselves to protecting IP. While it’s true that technology will allow us to promote our public awareness campaigns to a wider audience and enable us to analyze data for intelligence and enforcement purposes, at the end of the day, it’s incumbent upon all of us to continue to invest in ourselves, invest in our tools and most importantly, to invest our people to meet the IP challenges now and in the future.
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