other enforcement measures are hampered by a judicial system that fails to prosecute cases actively or to issue deterrent criminal sentences. Border enforcement continues to be weak, and administrative enforcement against signal theft piracy needs improvement. The United States will work with Colombia to make progress on these pressing IPR issues through the implementation of its IPR commitments in the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, which was concluded in February 2006, and the United States expects to see continued progress from Colombia in the near term.
COSTA RICA
Costa Rica will remain on the Watch List in 2006. Concerns include problems with its IPR legislation and enforcement, particularly with respect to copyright piracy and trademark counterfeiting. The United States encourages the Government of Costa Rica to take immediate action in 2006 to improve the shortcomings in its IPR enforcement system by assigning high priority and resources to enforcement efforts against piracy and counterfeiting. Costa Rica signed the United States-Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in 2004, and is the only partner which has not yet ratified it. The United States urges Costa Rica to ratify CAFTA-DR – and to do so in the near term. Areas of concern include the inadequate protection against unfair commercial use of undisclosed test and other data submitted by pharmaceutical companies seeking marketing approval for their products, patents, copyrights, trademarks, criminal and civil enforcement; and border enforcement. The United States will work with Costa Rica to make progress on these pressing IPR issues through the implementation of its IPR obligations under CAFTA-DR, and the United States hopes to see continued progress from the Government of Costa Rica in the near term.
CROATIA
Croatia will remain on the Watch List in 2006 due to limited progress on IPR issues. The United States is concerned about difficulties with obtaining injunctive relief and expeditious resolutions in patent cases. As reported in the 2005 Special 301 Report, Croatia passed legislation in December 2004 that provided protection against unfair commercial use of undisclosed test and other data submitted by pharmaceutical companies seeking marketing approval for their products, but Croatia fails to provide coordination between its national patent authority and its central health regulatory authority to prevent marketing registrations for patent-infringing pharmaceutical products. As a result, the U.S. pharmaceutical industry reports that companies are easily able to register patent-infringing pharmaceuticals in Croatia. Inadequate border enforcement also contributes to the growing importation of pirated goods into Croatia. The United States will continue to monitor Croatia's progress on these issues in 2006.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
The Dominican Republic will remain on the Watch List in 2006, due to slow progress on a range of IPR issues. The United States encourages the Dominican Republic to focus its efforts on combating broadcast piracy, deterring copyright and trademark infringement, and ensuring an expeditious resolution of pending civil and criminal IPR cases. The United States also is concerned about reported deficiencies in the protection against unfair commercial use of undisclosed test and other data submitted by pharmaceutical companies seeking marketing approval for their products. On the positive side, the Dominican Republic took steps in January 2006 to ratify the WIPO Internet Treaties and has taken some IPR enforcement actions,
