The President mentioned China four times in his State of the Union address on January 24, 2012.   Although it’s a bit unclear what his game plan is, it seems that he is looking closely at IP-related claims.  “It’s not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated,” Obama said:  “Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. “

What will be the nature of this Trade Enforcement Unit? During the Bush administration, a “top to bottom” review at the U.S. Trade Representative’s office resulted in the creation of a China trade enforcement unit within USTR that took the lead on China trade cases at the WTO.  Claire Reade, the current Assistant USTR for China was the head of that unit.  Continue reading →