Department of Commerce

Whenever someone uses pirated software or downloads a pirated video of a movie still playing in theaters, it's copyright infringement, and a violation of intellectual property (IP) rights that are part of the law in the U.S., and recognized by many other nations in a reciprocal fashion.

Copyright, trademark, and patent law are all enforced by the U.S. Department of Commerce, which is a Cabinet position office part of the executive branch designed to promote economic growth, international trade, technology access, and other sectors that are vital to the U.S. economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is also part of the Commerce Department.

Once upon a time, in 1903, the otherwise astute President Teddy Roosevelt naively created the Department of Commerce and Labor, the equivalent of putting the Hatfields and the McCoys together into a cabin for a season of Big Brother. President Howard Taft, a judge before and after his term as President, wisely divided them into separate Cabinet departments ten years later.