goods, and many appear to go unpunished by the authorities. Amendments to Brunei's copyright law that would strengthen enforcement authority have been pending for years. Brunei should sustain its recent efforts to enforce against the retail sale of pirated goods through consistent raids, prosecutions, and deterrent penalties, and by passing needed amendments to the copyright law. The United States will continue to engage with Brunei to encourage the continuation of efforts to improve IPR protection and enforcement.
Colombia
Colombia will remain on the Watch List in 2010. Colombia continues to improve its efforts to combat IPR infringement though enforcement actions. Coordination of the many agencies responsible for enforcing IPR improved in 2009; however, these agencies need additional training and resources. There are also concerns over the lack of deterrent sentences. Another area of improvement has been the reduction in patent approval times from more than six to less than five years, in keeping with commitments Colombia made during the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement negotiations. The United States encourages Colombia to develop an effective system to address patent issues expeditiously in connection with applications to market pharmaceutical products. The United States also encourages Colombia to develop a mechanism to improve enforcement against IPR infringement on the Internet, and notes that optical disc piracy remains a concern. The United States looks forward to working with Colombia to address these issues in the coming year.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica will remain on the Watch List in 2010. To implement IPR commitments in the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), Costa Rica passed legislation providing for stronger IPR protection and enforcement. Technical corrections to this legislation are pending. In addition, Costa Rica recently published regulations to provide for the protection of undisclosed information submitted in support of the registration of new agricultural chemical products in Costa Rica. The United States remains concerned, however, about weak IPR enforcement in Costa Rica, particularly with respect to copyright piracy and trademark counterfeiting. Of particular concern is the lack of willingness by the relevant authority to initiate prosecutions for copyright and other IPR violations. The United States strongly encourages the government of Costa Rica to address the shortcomings in its IPR enforcement system by assigning higher priority and greater resources to combating piracy and counterfeiting, by bringing cases against individuals and organizations engaged in criminal IPR infringements, and by providing deterrent penalties for these crimes. The United States will continue to monitor Costa Rica's implementation of its international obligations and IPR commitments under CAFTA-DR.
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