US government lists 12 countries for detailed scrutiny of intellectual property protection

By Simon Aughton

Posted on 1 May 2007 at 10:45

Nonetheless Schwab said that despite some encouraging developments, numerous IPR problems persist around the world.

'Trade in counterfeit pharmaceuticals is a particularly grave concern, in light of the risks to human health and safety,' she said. 'Unabated piracy of CDs, DVDs and CD-ROMS, and the widespread counterfeiting of trademark-protected consumer and industrial goods will also remain important focuses of US IPR trade policy efforts in the coming year.'

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) welcomed the report.

'In China, the large-scale piracy of sound recordings continues unabated, and market-access problems remain unaddressed,' said RIAA executive vice-president, International, Neil Turkewitz. 'In certain respects, these issues have only become more problematic for our industry, and RIAA fully endorses the recent action by USTR to initiate consultations in the WTO.'

Like Schwab, Turkewitz noted Russian efforts to address international concerns, but urged the US government not to shy away from imposing sanctions if these efforts fail.

'Russia is simultaneously home to some of the biggest criminal enterprises involved in production and global trafficking in pirate optical discs and to some of the world's most notorious pirate websites such as allofmp3.com,' he said.

He said that the music industry backed the decision to drop Brazil from the priority list. He noted that the Brazilian government has completely reorganised its approach to fighting IPR infringement but warned that there is much to be done.

'For the first time in many years, the piracy rate for recorded music has dropped below 50 per cent,' he said. 'Unfortunately, a tremendous increase in the availability of unauthorised recordings on the Internet has kept this decrease in the physical piracy rate from resulting in increased legitimate sales. This disconnect makes clear that piracy involving the Internet and other digital media present enforcement challenges that need to be addressed in order to truly expand opportunities for creators - both in Brazil and abroad.'