FACT SHEET
"SPECIAL 301" ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
ACTIONS TAKEN
United States Trade Representative Michael Kantor announced today the Administration's decision with respect to this year's review under the so-called "special 301" provisions of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act).
This decision reflects the considerable progress made over the course of 1994 and thus far in 1995 in resolving intellectual property problems with many countries. It also reflects the increasing general level of protection for intellectual property in other countries resulting in part from the accelerated implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (the TRIPs Agreement).
Ambassador Kantor's decision includes the following specific actions:
For "priority watch list" countries:
The Administration announced that "out-of-cycle" reviews would be conducted with the following countries:
By October:
- Greece: We seek enactment of a broadcast law and vigorous action against unauthorized broadcasting of U.S. films.
- Saudi Arabia: We look for continued enforcement against copyright piracy.
By mid-December:
- Turkey: To ensure that Turkey is modifying laws and practices to provide modern copyright, trademark and patent protection and enforcement.
The Administration will review the status of bilateral talks with Japan over patent scope issues in mid-December as well.
The Administration placed three additional trading partners on the priority watch list: Korea, the EU and India.
For "watch list" countries:
The Administration announced that "out-of-cycle" reviews would be conducted with the following countries:
