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- Poland – Poland is being removed from the Special 301 Watch list in recognition of a significant reduction in the availability of pirated and counterfeit goods at border markets, increased and improved enforcement efforts, and to strong cooperation between rights holders and enforcement officials. The government has also taken some initial steps to address Internet piracy concerns. The United States will continue to monitor Poland's progress to ensure that IPR protection and enforcement improvements are ongoing.
Results from the 2009 OCRs:
- Fiji – Fiji made progress on IPR enforcement during the 2009 OCR period and will not be placed on a list in the 2010 Special 301 Report. The United States encourages Fiji to continue its efforts to ensure that IPR are properly protected and enforced in the country, and will continue to monitor Fiji's progress.
- Israel – The United States has recently concluded an understanding with Israel to address several longstanding issues with its IPR regime for pharmaceutical products. The understanding more closely aligns key aspects of Israel's IPR system for pharmaceutical products with the levels of protection afforded by other countries at Israel's advanced stage of development. The United States will continue to work with Israel through the implementation of this understanding and to address other outstanding concerns in IPR protection and enforcement.
- Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia significantly improved its IPR protection and enforcement regime and as a result was removed from the Watch List in February 2010, following the conclusion of an OCR. Enforcement, prosecutions, and transparency issues were successfully addressed in the past year, and the United States will continue to engage with Saudi Arabia to address remaining issues.
Other positive developments:
- Sweden – The government of Sweden has implemented several measures to improve its IPR regime within the past year. As a result of such efforts, many of the Bit Torrent tracker websites and DC-hubs (types of peer-to-peer protocols that allow users to either download files from websites containing links, or from a central hub with infringing material) that previously operated out of Sweden have now moved elsewhere. In their place, legal alternatives, such as Spotify, Film2Home, and Voddler have generated growing interest. Sweden's implementation of the EU's Enforcement Directive has increased public awareness of IPR protection.
- EU – In 2009 the European Union (EU) ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) (collectively, the "WIPO Internet Treaties"). This marked a significant
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