[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 96 (Thursday, May 19, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-12199]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 19, 1994]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
 

Identification of Foreign Countries That Deny Adequate and 
Effective Intellectual Property Protection or Market Access to Persons 
That Rely on Intellectual Property Protection

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of identification of foreign countries that deny 
adequate and effective intellectual property protection, or deny fair 
and equitable market access to persons who rely on intellectual 
property protection, pursuant to section 182(a) and section 182(e) of 
the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (Trade Act).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 182(a) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2242), 
the USTR has identified 36 countries that deny adequate and effective 
intellectual property protection or deny fair and equitable market 
access to persons who rely on intellectual property protection. Three 
trading partners, Argentina, China and India, were identified as 
presenting particularly serious problems requiring a review of their 
status in 60 days; six trading partners were placed on the priority 
watch list; and eighteen trading partners were placed on the watch 
list. Nine other countries received special mention. No countries were 
designated priority foreign countries under section 182(a)(2) of the 
Trade Act.

EFFECTIVE DATE: The USTR's identification was made on April 30, 1994.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joseph Papovich, Deputy Assistant USTR for Intellectual Property (202) 
395-6864, Keith Kupferschmid, Director for Intellectual Property (202) 
395-6864, or Thomas Robertson, Assistant General Counsel (202) 395-
6800.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 182(a) of the Trade Act requires the 
USTR to identify foreign countries that deny adequate and effective 
protection of intellectual property rights or that deny fair and 
equitable market access for persons that rely on intellectual property 
protection. From among these identified foreign countries, the USTR 
must designate as ``priority foreign countries'' those countries whose 
acts, policies or practices are the most onerous or egregious and have 
the greatest adverse impact (actual or potential) on relevant U.S. 
products. Countries may not be identified as priority foreign countries 
if they are engaged in good faith negotiations, or making significant 
progress in multilateral or bilateral negotiations to provide adequate 
and effective protection or enforcement of intellectual property 
rights.
    Although the USTR identified no priority foreign countries in the 
1994 special 301 review, he did note that Argentina, China and India 
presented particularly serious problems. The USTR stated that the 
status of each of these countries would be revisited in 60 days, and 
that if satisfactory progress had not been made by that time, they 
would be designated priority foreign countries.
    The USTR also named trading partners to the administratively-
created priority watch list and watch list. The trading partners named 
to the priority watch list include the European Union, Japan, Korea, 
Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Turkey. The trading partners named to the 
watch list include Australia, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Egypt, El 
Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Italy, Pakistan, Peru, the 
Philippines, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, and 
Venezuela. Four of these trading partners--Egypt, El Salvador, Greece 
and the United Arab Emirates--will be subject to out-of-cycle reviews, 
which are formal mid-year reviews when the USTR will determine whether 
the problems or practices that resulted in those countries being placed 
on the list have been addressed. Finally, the trading partners 
warranting special mention of their practices, but not warranting 
placement on a formal list, include Brazil, Canada, Germany, Honduras, 
Israel, Panama, Paraguay, Russia and Singapore.
Ira S. Shapiro,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 94-12199 Filed 5-18-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-M