The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) says it applauds the Trump administration’s continued focus to protect intellectual property. However, it says it also opposes using tariffs to curb intellectual property theft. MEMA believes that retaliatory tariffs could negate the administration’s recent successful work on behalf of American companies, such as tax reform.

In a statement, the association said, “The tariffs are taxes that hurt U.S. companies, put jobs at risk and negatively impact consumers. In May, MEMA testified before the United States Trade Representative (USTR) against these tariffs. During its testimony, MEMA highlighted that IP theft protections are critical but argued tariffs on motor vehicle parts manufacturers will be ineffective in obtaining these goals. To the contrary, such prohibitively high tariffs on these products will disproportionately harm U.S. businesses, including the motor parts and equipment manufacturers MEMA represents.

“Tariffs are not the solution to this substantial and growing problem. Instead, MEMA supports stronger bilateral engagement, where China and the U.S. work together to protect the valuable IP of our members, or the U.S. leveraging the powerful relationships we have with other trading partners to pressure China to enforce their own IP laws and comply with international IP laws and regulations,” MEMA’s statement concluded.

For more information on the impact on suppliers and MEMA’s efforts on trade, visit the MEMA Trade Resource Page.