US puts India, Pak and China on watch list for IPR violation

Lalit K Jha
Washington, May 3 (PTI) United States has placed
India, Pakistan, China and nine other countries on the top
"priority watch list" with regard to violations of
intellectual property rights (IPR).
America's trading partners on the Priority Watch List
present the most significant concerns regarding insufficient
IPR protection or enforcement, or otherwise limited market
access for persons relying on intellectual property
protection.
Twelve countries – India, Pakistan, China, Russia,
Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Israel, Thailand
and Venezuela – are on the Priority Watch List.
These countries will be the subject of particularly
intense bilateral engagement during the coming year, the US
Trade Representative (USTR) said as it released its annual
Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of US
trading partners' protection of IPR.
"This year's Special 301 Report comes with a call to
action for our trading partners. We are ready to work
intensively with you to stop intellectual property theft that
threatens IP-related jobs in the United States and other
countries," said USTR, Ron Kirk.
"Today's report is a springboard for ambitious and
collaborative partnerships in the coming year to strengthen
protection for the innovation and creativity that drive jobs
and exports for the United States and our partners around the
world," Kirk said yesterday.
Noting that fighting IPR theft in overseas markets is
critical to the livelihoods of the estimated 18 million
Americans who work in intellectual property-intensive
industries, USTR said the Special 301 Report provides a means
for the United States to promote the protection and
enforcement of IPR.
This year, for the first time, USTR has issued an open
invitation to all trading partners listed in the report to
cooperatively develop action plans to resolve IPR issues of
concern.
On India, the USTR recommended that India take steps
to improve the efficiency of judicial proceedings, and
strengthen its criminal enforcement regime, by encouraging the
imposition of deterrent-level sentences for IPR violations and
by giving prosecution of IPR offenses greater priority.
US encourages India to provide an effective system for
protecting against unfair commercial use, as well as
unauthorised disclosure, of undisclosed test and other data
generated to obtain marketing approval for pharmaceutical and
agricultural chemical products, the report said.