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Out-of-Cycle Reviews
In 2009, USTR will conduct a number of Out-of-Cycle Reviews (OCRs) to monitor progress on IPR protection and/or enforcement and to consider the placement of these trading partners in the Special 301 Report.
- Fiji – Several public submissions raised concerns regarding large-scale commercial enterprises engaged in retail distribution of pirated optical discs (CDs and DVDs). USTR will conduct an OCR to examine Fiji's efforts to address this problem.
- Israel – The United States will continue the OCR that was started last year, in order to continue positive discussions with Israel regarding potential amendments to Israel's laws that affect IPR protection for pharmaceutical products.
- Philippines – The United States will conduct an OCR to monitor the Philippines' progress on IPR protection and enforcement initiatives.
- Poland – The United States will conduct an OCR to examine whether Poland continues to make progress on IPR enforcement, including through implementation of its National IPR Action Plan.
- Saudi Arabia – To build on the successful launch of the United States-Saudi Arabia IPR Working Group, the United States will conduct an OCR to monitor progress by Saudi Arabia on IPR enforcement and transparency objectives.
New Format of the Special 301 Report
USTR has restructured the Special 301 Report, which now has three main sections and two Annexes.
- Section I: Developments in Intellectual Property Rights Protection and Enforcement discusses broad global trends and issues in IPR protection and enforcement that USTR works to address on a daily basis.
- Section II: Country Reports includes narrative descriptions of issues of concern in particular countries.
- Section III: Notorious Markets is a listing of Internet markets and physical markets of concern.
- Annex I provides the statutory background for the Special 301 Report.
- Annex II provides a list of contracting parties to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) and the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) (i.e., the WIPO Internet Treaties).
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