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28
November
- Sweden enacted legislative changes to provide ex parte relief for copyright owners, allowing the United States and Sweden to resolve the issue and successfully conclude WTO dispute settlement consultations.
- The United States and Paraguay signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Enforcement Action Plan successfully concluding the U.S. Special 301 investigation into Paraguay's intellectual property laws and practices.
- To further combat the problem of imported copies of legitimate products, Venezuela passed a new customs law that gives authorities the right to seize pirated goods at the border.
December
- The Government of Kuwait signed a decree on December 22 banning the registration of copies of pharmaceutical products still under patent protection.
- The U.S.-Vietnam Copyright Agreement entered into force on December 23, giving U.S. works legal protection in Vietnam.
- India acceding to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), which became effective on December 7.
- Slovenia issued an executive order on protection of end-user software.
1999
January
- Estonia enacted new copyright and customs legislation and amended its code of criminal procedures to strengthen IPR protection.
- Turkey extended patent protection to pharmaceuticals.
February
- The Government of Colombia issued a Presidential directive on government use of software on February 25.
