Drew Wilson
October 5th, 2009, 08:57 AM
The following are copies of several years of the USTR Special 301 Report, as well as selected submissions by PhRMA and IIPA and commentary and submissions by others, followed by selected articles and reports about the Special 301 Report.
More... (http://keionline.org/ustr/special301)
Might make for an interesting read. A history of US bully tactics on the international community with relation to copyright.
mountain_rage
October 5th, 2009, 10:51 AM
Canada will be added to the Priority Watch List in 2009. The United States appreciates the high
level of cooperation between our two governments in many important bilateral and multilateral
IPR initiatives. The United States also welcomed the Government of Canada’s reaffirmation
earlier this year of its 2007 and 2008 commitments to improve IPR protection and enforcement.
However, the Government of Canada has not delivered on these commitments by promptly and
effectively implementing key copyright reforms. The United States continues to have serious
concerns with Canada’s failure to accede to and implement the WIPO Internet Treaties, which
Canada signed in 1997. We urge Canada to enact legislation in the near term to strengthen its
copyright laws and implement these treaties. The United States also continues to urge Canada to
improve its IPR enforcement system to enable authorities to take effective action against the
trade in counterfeit and pirated products within Canada, as well as curb the volume of infringing
products transshipped and transiting through Canada. Canada’s weak border measures continue
to be a serious concern for IP owners. The United States hopes that Canada will implement
legislative changes to provide a stronger border enforcement system by giving its customs
officers the authority to seize products suspected of being pirated or counterfeit without the need
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for a court order. The provision of additional resources and training to customs officers and
domestic law enforcement personnel would enhance IPR enforcement. The United States will
continue to follow Canada’s progress toward providing an adequate and effective IPR protection
and enforcement regime, including near term accession to and implementation of the WIPO
Internet Treaties and improved border enforcement.
Doesn't the U.S. enforce its own border, and who enters their countries themselves? Unless I'm mistaken here, the only concern with Canadian border security is in what enters Canada, not what enters the U.S. So unless I'm mistaken, their issue is a non issue, unless that is they are complaining about counterfeit goods being sold within Canada, which I'd be surprised to see.