The MPAA was one of the most vocal groups backing controversial copyright-enforcement bills the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), two bills that would allow the DOJ to target foreign websites suspected of selling infringing products. SOPA and PIPA would give the DOJ tools to shut down foreign websites, in addition to the domain name seizures of U.S.-based sites, supporters have said.

Lawmakers put both bills on hold in January after massive online protests.

Espinel's report mentioned SOPA and PIPA in passing, saying Obama's administration is "closely following" the bills. The Obama administration believes that "new legislative and nonlegislative tools are needed to address offshore infringement and counterfeiting," she wrote.

But Espinel's report repeats earlier concerns about unnamed copyright legislation. A about the two bills "recognizes that online piracy is a serious problem, but also makes it clear that the administration will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk (including authority to tamper with the DNS system), or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet," the report said.

The DOJ brought intellectual property charges against 215 defendants in 168 cases during the government's 2011 fiscal year, the report said. Both the number of cases and the number of defendants were the lowest in the past five years.