Tech copyright holders and allies told the U.S. Trade Representative's office of the risk BitTorrent portals, cyberlockers and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks in Asia, Europe and North America pose to industry because of piracy, in comments posted online throughout the week (see 1602080061), 1602090053 and here). Comments on USTR's so-called Special 301 report on countries that infringe on U.S. intellectual property from a group that includes the Entertainment Software Association, MPAA and RIAA cited a September report on cyberlockers, which are centralized file-hosting sites for user-uploaded content and often used to infringe copyrighted material. Online security company NetNames wrote the report, which was commissioned by the Digital Citizens Alliance, a coalition with an advisory board that it said includes union, National Consumers League and tech officials. DCA analyzed 30 cyberlocker sites -- split evenly between streaming and direct download cyberlockers -- saying they collected nearly $100 million in revenue in the past year. Cyberlockers, P2P networks and various physical locations across the globe are havens for piracy and copyright infringement, said the International Intellectual Property Alliance, with members including ESA, the Independent Film & Television Alliance, MPAA and RIAA. “Online content theft poses a significant and ever-evolving challenge,” it said. “Content thieves are taking advantage of a wide constellation of easy-to-use, consumer-friendly online technologies such as direct download and streaming cyberlockers, which, in turn, have given rise to a lucrative form of secondary infringement on the part of ‘linking sites’ that index stolen movie and television content hosted on other sites.” Alibaba-owned Taobao, a Chinese e-commerce company that had faced scrutiny for infringing goods, said it removed 99.23 million allegedly infringing website listings between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30. Almost 94 percent of those takedowns were done “proactively,” it said. More than 33 percent of the takedowns were a result of a “special” campaign between Taobao and 1,208 copyright holders in the U.S., it said. That campaign resulted in penalties for more than 200,000 Taobao merchants, it said. Time Warner's HBO Latin America, meanwhile, focused on the region. It said "many Caribbean and Central American governments often fail to enforce HBO LA’s copyrights and licenses, permitting piracy of HBO LA’s IP [intellectual property] without legal consequence." The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers also said Caribbean countries and China don't always respect IP rights: "Unfortunately, there has been little progress over the past year in the conditions that ASCAP’s members face in these markets."

Tech copyright holders and allies told the U.S. Trade Representative's office of the risk BitTorrent portals, cyberlockers and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks in Asia, Europe and North America pose to industry because of piracy, in comments posted online throughout the week (see 1602080061), 1602090053 and here). Comments on USTR's so-called Special 301 report on countries that infringe on U.S. intellectual property from a group that includes the Entertainment Software Association, MPAA and RIAA cited a September report on cyberlockers, which are centralized file-hosting sites for user-uploaded content and often used to infringe copyrighted material. Online security company NetNames wrote the report, which was commissioned by the Digital Citizens Alliance, a coalition with an advisory board that it said includes union, National Consumers League and tech officials. DCA analyzed 30 cyberlocker sites -- split evenly between streaming and direct download cyberlockers -- saying they collected nearly $100 million in revenue in the past year. Cyberlockers, P2P networks and various physical locations across the globe are havens for piracy and copyright infringement, said the International Intellectual Property Alliance, with members including ESA, the Independent Film & Television Alliance, MPAA and RIAA. “Online content theft poses a significant and ever-evolving challenge,” it said. “Content thieves are taking advantage of a wide constellation of easy-to-use, consumer-friendly online technologies such as direct download and streaming cyberlockers, which, in turn, have given rise to a lucrative form of secondary infringement on the part of ‘linking sites’ that index stolen movie and television content hosted on other sites.” Alibaba-owned Taobao, a Chinese e-commerce company that had faced scrutiny for infringing goods, said it removed 99.23 million allegedly infringing website listings between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30. Almost 94 percent of those takedowns were done “proactively,” it said. More than 33 percent of the takedowns were a result of a “special” campaign between Taobao and 1,208 copyright holders in the U.S., it said. That campaign resulted in penalties for more than 200,000 Taobao merchants, it said. Time Warner's HBO Latin America, meanwhile, focused on the region. It said "many Caribbean and Central American governments often fail to enforce HBO LA’s copyrights and licenses, permitting piracy of HBO LA’s IP [intellectual property] without legal consequence." The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers also said Caribbean countries and China don't always respect IP rights: "Unfortunately, there has been little progress over the past year in the conditions that ASCAP’s members face in these markets."

Technology and Internet industry groups urged the U.S. to continue promoting IP protection among its trading partners, and identified countries that violate existing IP obligations or fail to provide "fair and equitable" market access, in comments filed with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and made public Monday. Stakeholders submitted comments to the USTR in response to the agency's request for written responses to its Special 301 report (see 1602080061), which is meant to "identify countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection." Commenters also warned of both active and proposed rules by certain global competitors that limit cross-border data flows and encourage digital protectionism.

Technology and Internet industry groups urged the U.S. to continue promoting IP protection among its trading partners, and identified countries that violate existing IP obligations or fail to provide "fair and equitable" market access, in comments filed with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and made public Monday. Stakeholders submitted comments to the USTR in response to the agency's request for written responses to its Special 301 report (see 1602080061), which is meant to "identify countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection." Commenters also warned of both active and proposed rules by certain global competitors that limit cross-border data flows and encourage digital protectionism.

Trademark holders said some countries don't protect U.S. copyright, and the International Intellectual Property Alliance, which includes MPAA and RIAA, said the U.S. Trade Representative's office should resume classifying Ukraine as a priority country for not protecting U.S. IP. In the filings we were able to get in the runup to last Friday's deadline for comments to USTR, the Trademark Working Group, while not recommending the office add countries to the priority countries list, said Argentina, Brazil, India, the Philippines and Malaysia -- which TWG called the “slows” -- regularly fail to adjudicate oppositions and cancelations in a “reasonable period of time.” IIPA, in comments it released Friday said Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam should be added to USTR's priority watch list. Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mexico, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates should go on the regular watch list. IIPA members also include the Association of American Publishers, Entertainment Software Association and Independent Television & Film Alliance. Last week's Trans-Pacific Partnership signing was "a timely reminder of the valuable role our government plays in promoting U.S. economic interests abroad, and of the need to seek enforceable commitments from key trading partners to remove impediments to legitimate marketplaces," said IIPA Counsel Steven Metalitz in a news release. "TPP holds the potential to make a critical contribution, along with other trade agreements and Congressionally mandated reviews like the Special 301 Report, to this market-opening drive.” Monday, USTR posted about 30 public comments. The next issue of this publication will report on what tech groups like the Computer & Communications Industry Association, Internet Association and others said.

Trademark holders said some countries don't protect U.S. copyright, and the International Intellectual Property Alliance, which includes MPAA and RIAA, said the U.S. Trade Representative's office should resume classifying Ukraine as a priority country for not protecting U.S. IP. In the filings we were able to get in the runup to last Friday's deadline for comments to USTR, the Trademark Working Group, while not recommending the office add countries to the priority countries list, said Argentina, Brazil, India, the Philippines and Malaysia -- which TWG called the “slows” -- regularly fail to adjudicate oppositions and cancelations in a “reasonable period of time.” IIPA, in comments it released Friday said Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam should be added to USTR's priority watch list. Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mexico, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates should go on the regular watch list. IIPA members also include the Association of American Publishers, Entertainment Software Association and Independent Television & Film Alliance. Last week's Trans-Pacific Partnership signing was "a timely reminder of the valuable role our government plays in promoting U.S. economic interests abroad, and of the need to seek enforceable commitments from key trading partners to remove impediments to legitimate marketplaces," said IIPA Counsel Steven Metalitz in a news release. "TPP holds the potential to make a critical contribution, along with other trade agreements and Congressionally mandated reviews like the Special 301 Report, to this market-opening drive.” Monday, USTR posted about 30 public comments. The next issue of this publication will report on what tech groups like the Computer & Communications Industry Association, Internet Association and others said.

Counterfeiting and failure by foreign governments to implement or enforce laws to counter the crimes are harming U.S. businesses, industry said in comments filed on Feb. 5 to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (here). USTR asked for industry comments to help craft its 2016 Special 301 Review of Notorious Markets. Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Ukraine, and Venezuela should be added to the watch list; and China, Honduras, Philippines, Russia, and Turkey should be added to the priority watch list, the American Apparel and Footwear Association said in its comments (here).

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said it’s seeking comment on its annual special 301 review process on “notorious” IP markets, which identifies “priority” countries where policies allow copyright infringement and other IP rights violations to occur. USTR’s 2015 annual special 301 report didn’t name any country as a “priority foreign country” for IP rights violations but identified China and India among 13 priority watch list countries. USTR placed 24 other countries on its lower-tier watch list (see 1504300061). Comments on the 2016 special 301 review are due Feb. 5, USTR said in Monday’s Federal Register. Foreign governments will have until Feb. 19 to file comments or notices that they intend to testify at a planned March 1 public hearing on the special 301 review, USTR said. The March 1 hearing is at USTR’s Washington, D.C., offices. USTR said it plans to release its 2016 special 301 report around April 30.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said it’s seeking comment on its annual special 301 review process on “notorious” IP markets, which identifies “priority” countries where policies allow copyright infringement and other IP rights violations to occur. USTR’s 2015 annual special 301 report didn’t name any country as a “priority foreign country” for IP rights violations but identified China and India among 13 priority watch list countries. USTR placed 24 other countries on its lower-tier watch list (see 1504300061). Comments on the 2016 special 301 review are due Feb. 5, USTR said in Monday’s Federal Register. Foreign governments will have until Feb. 19 to file comments or notices that they intend to testify at a planned March 1 public hearing on the special 301 review, USTR said. The March 1 hearing is at USTR’s Washington, D.C., offices. USTR said it plans to release its 2016 special 301 report around April 30.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said it’s seeking comment on its annual special 301 review process on “notorious” IP markets, which identifies “priority” countries where policies allow copyright infringement and other IP rights violations to occur. USTR’s 2015 annual special 301 report didn’t name any country as a “priority foreign country” for IP rights violations but identified China and India among 13 priority watch list countries. USTR placed 24 other countries on its lower-tier watch list (see 1504300061). Comments on the 2016 special 301 review are due Feb. 5, USTR said in Monday’s Federal Register. Foreign governments will have until Feb. 19 to file comments or notices that they intend to testify at a planned March 1 public hearing on the special 301 review, USTR said. The March 1 hearing is at USTR’s Washington, D.C., offices. USTR said it plans to release its 2016 special 301 report around April 30.