The Office of the United States Trade Representatives (USTR) has issued its annual Special 301 Report on the protection and enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights. The Report includes policies that address the issues of IPR enforcement and the challenges of copyright piracy over the internet.
In the 2011 review, a new initiative was announced inviting trading partners appearing on the previously assigned lists to negotiate a mutually agreed action plan aiming at removing that trading partner from the lists.
In this review, the Arab countries that are listed on the Priority Watch List and on the Watch List remain the same. Egypt, Kuwait and Lebanon are still on the Watch List despite the continuous efforts exerted by these countries in order to address the issues related to intellectual property rights protection. Algeria is the only Arab country on the Priority Watch List for this year.
According to the Special 301 USTR Report, these countries should protect public health and promote the patent system by encouraging creativity and innovation.
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