U.S. adds Canada to priority watch list on intellectual property

May 4, 2018

The United States has added Canada to a priority watch list of countries that it says have failed to enforce intellectual property rights.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative downgraded Canada from its watch list to its priority watch list in a report released Friday.

The office’s news release cited concerns over border enforcement, procedures related to pharmaceuticals and deficient copyright protection as justification for placing Canada on a 12-country list that also includes China, India and Russia.

It said the countries on the list would be the subject of what it called “intense bilateral engagement” during the coming year.

The report comes as Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has been engaged in heated talks over the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

A Canadian close to those talks has said intellectual property is one of several issues that remain unresolved, along with dispute settlement and the U.S. push for a sunset clause.

This is from the 30 April 2018 edition of the National Post.

Topic(s)

International Trade and Border Management

Information source

Canadian News Channel

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