The following is a statement from the International Intellectual Property Alliance® (IIPA®) on the release today of the 2024 Special 301 Report:
“The IIPA® congratulates the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on the release today of the 2024 Special 301 Report. This congressionally mandated annual report importantly identifies obstacles to expanding legitimate global commerce in creative works. IIPA thanks Ambassador Katherine Tai, the USTR team, and their interagency colleagues for diligently working to open foreign markets to American creative content, which helps to support the livelihoods of U.S. creators and workers.
“This year’s Report once again highlights key priorities of the U.S. creative industries, including calling on U.S. trading partners to eliminate barriers that undermine the competitiveness of lawful services, especially in online and mobile marketplaces. IIPA welcomes the Report’s discussion of online and broadcast piracy, including stream ripping and illicit IPTV services; collective management problems that impede right holders from receiving compensation for their works; and the need to improve IP enforcement. The Report also notes the importance of freedom of contract for the transfers of exclusive rights, which allows copyright owners “to freely and separately transfer their economic rights by contract and to fully enjoy the benefits derived from those rights,” a critical factor for the healthy growth of a dynamic digital marketplace.
“Principally, the Special 301 Report identifies overseas markets where trade barriers, including inadequate copyright protection and enforcement and other market access restrictions, should be addressed. Progress on elimination of these barriers not only supports U.S. creators but also helps our trading partners to develop their domestic creative industries and nurture their own creators.
“The U.S. government’s regular engagement with U.S. trading partners as part of the Special 301 review process remains a key trade policy tool for advancing these priorities. The U.S. copyright industries appreciate USTR’s commitment to preserving this tool’s integrity and effectiveness, as well as all the work by USTR and the interagency to help open markets for U.S. creative content over the past year. IIPA looks forward to working with USTR and with agencies across the U.S. government to encourage our trading partners to continue to make concrete progress toward stronger and more open copyright marketplaces.
On January 30, IIPA made a detailed submission to USTR with its recommendations for the 2024 Special 301 Report. IIPA’s full submission can be found at https://www.iipa.org/files/uploads/2024/01/Final-PDF-for-Website-1.pdf.”
In today’s announcement:
∙ USTR lists 7 countries on the Priority Watch List, including key copyright markets like Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, and the Russian Federation;
∙ USTR lists 20 countries on the Watch List, including key markets for creators like Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The 2024 Special 301 Report lists the following countries:
|
USTR 2024 Special 301 Decisions |
|
|
Priority Watch List |
Watch List |
|
Argentina Chile China India Indonesia Russian Federation Venezuela |
Algeria Barbados Belarus Bolivia Brazil Bulgaria Canada Colombia Ecuador Egypt Guatemala Mexico Pakistan Paraguay Peru Thailand Trinidad & Tobago Turkey Turkmenistan Vietnam |
