The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has included Belarus in the list of countries under surveillance for possible violations of intellectual property rights.
The measures were taken under a law passed in Belarus legalizing the unauthorized use of copyrighted works from countries that imposed sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia’s war. against Ukraine.
USTR’s 2023 Special Report on Enforcement of Intellectual Property (IP) Rights of U.S. Trading Partners Upheld Ukraine’s Intellectual Property Review Due to Large-Scale Russian Invasion from the country.
However, the USTR report added NATO member Bulgaria to the list of countries under scrutiny for failing to address shortcomings in investigating internet hacking cases.
There are now 29 countries on the regular list and on the “priority” list that are monitored for infringements and shortcomings in the enforcement of intellectual property rights. This year, seven countries are on the priority list: China, Chile, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Russia and Venezuela.
The USTR notes that China continues to amend patent law, copyright law and criminal law in accordance with the agreement reached in the 2020 trade agreement, but explains that “the pace of reforms to resolve intellectual property issues has slowed down”.
The report highlights that while “rights holders have welcomed some positive developments, they are expressing concerns about the adequacy and effective implementation of these measures”, as well as concerns about the transfer of technology and trade secrets. , as well as counterfeiting.
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