USTR Seeks Comments for "Special 301" Out-of-Cycle Review of Russia Regarding IPR Protection
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice requesting written comments on its Special 301 out-of-cycle review (OCR) of the Russian Federation (Russia) regarding its intellectual property protection and enforcement.
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The USTR explains that on April 27, 2007, it announced the results of its 2007 Special 301 review of other countries' IPR protections and stated that an OCR would be conducted for four countries, including Russia. (See ITT's Online Archives or 05/03/07 news, 07050310, for BP summary of the results of the 2007 Special 301 review.)
According to the USTR, comments should include a description of experiences with respect to Russia in the field of IPR and the effect of Russian IPR acts, policies, and practices on U.S. industry. In particular, USTR requests that comments address Russia's implementation of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral IPR Agreement of November 19, 2006. Comments should be as detailed as possible and should provide all necessary information for assessing the effect of such acts, policies, and practices. USTR states that any comments that include quantitative loss claims should be accompanied by the methodology used in calculating such estimated losses.
(The USTR has previously stated that OCRs are conducted when countries require further monitoring, in addition to the annual review cycle. Under Special 301, placement on the Priority Watch List indicates that a country does not provide an adequate level of protection or enforcement of IPR or market access for persons relying on intellectual property. Designation as a Priority Foreign Country is for those countries with the most onerous or egregious acts, policies, or practices related to IPR with the greatest adverse impact on relevant U.S. products. Priority Foreign Countries are subject to accelerated investigations and possible sanctions.)
-Comments must be received on or before 10 a.m. on August 27, 2007
USTR Contact - Jennifer Groves (202) 395-4510
USTR Notice (FR Pub 07/09/07) available athttp://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-13257.pdf