US Issues Annual IPR Country Report

US Issues Annual IPR Country Report: "The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has released its annual ‘Special 301 Report’ on the perceived adequacy and effectiveness of US trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR).

“This year’s Special 301 Report is more significant than ever in light of recent US government data showing that IP intensive industries support as many as 40m American jobs and up to 60% of US exports,” USTR Ron Kirk stated. “When trading partners don’t protect IPR, they threaten those critical jobs and exports.”

The Report provides a means for the US to promote the protection and enforcement of IPR, and, over the past few years, has been said to have encouraged criticized governments to change course and adopt significantly improved IP regimes.

In the Report, for example, the USTR announced that Malaysia has been removed from the Report’s Watch List after making significant strides, including passing copyright amendments that strengthen copyright protection, stepped-up IPR enforcement, and promulgating regulations to protect pharmaceutical test data."

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