China and Russia once again lead the list of countries with the worst record on preventing piracy and counterfeiting of US goods, the US Trade Representative's office said.
USTR also said it was putting Canada on the "priority watch list" for the first time in the report's 20-year history because of growing concern about the need for Canada to reform its copyright laws and to strengthen border enforcement.
"In this time of economic uncertainty, we need to redouble our efforts to work with all of our trading partners - even our closest allies and neighbors such as Canada - to enhance protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights," US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a statement.
The list carries no threat of sanctions, but hopes to shame governments into cracking down on piracy and updating their copyright laws.
US motion picture, video game and recording industry groups welcomed the Obama administration's tougher stance on Canada, which they said has failed to update its copyright laws in response to advances in technology.
"Canada's weak laws and enforcement practices foster game piracy in the Canadian market and pave the way for unlawful imports in the US," Michael Gallagher, head of the Entertainment Software Association, said in a statement.
The United States also would like Canadian customs officials to have more authority to seize fake or pirated goods that enter the country, said Stan McCoy, assistant US trade representative for intellectual property and innovation.
The Canadian government introduced a bill last June to modernise its copyright legislation, but efforts to pass the bill stalled as politicians focused on federal elections in October.
"We are looking forward to doing consultations on copyright this summer," said Darren Cunningham, spokesman for Industry Minister Tony Clement.
Big profits for pirates
The International Intellectual Property Alliance, which represents US copyright industry groups, estimates US trade losses due to piracy surpassed $28.57 billion ($US16.12 billion) in 2008.
That include losses of at least $6.2 billion ($US3.50 billion) in China, $4.9 billion ($US2.77 billion) in Russia, $2.82 billion ($1.59 billion) in Italy, $US1.18 billion in Brazil, $US1.09 billion in India and $US916 million in Mexico.
USTR put China was on its priority watch list for the fifth consecutive year and Russia for the 12th.
"I'm particularly troubled by reports that Chinese officials are urging more lenient enforcement of IPR laws, motivated by the financial crisis and the need to maintain jobs," Kirk said. "China needs to strengthen its approach to IPR protection and enforcement, not weaken it."
USTR said it also elevated Algeria and Indonesia to the priority watch list because of growing concerning about piracy and counterfeiting in those countries.
It removed South Korea and Taiwan from a lower level "watch list" to reflect progress those countries have made.
USTR did not designate any country as a "priority foreign country," which would require it to launch a trade probe that could lead to sanctions being imposed.
China was designated as a priority foreign country twice in the 1990s and remained subject to special monitoring for years after it negotiated agreements to address US concerns.
Other countries on this year's priority watch list were: Argentina, Canada, Chile, India, Israel, Pakistan, Thailand, and Venezuela.
Source:tvnz.co.nz
No comments:
Post a Comment