U.S. Chamber Welcomes USTR Special 301 Report

Washington, June 05, 2017: U.S. Chamber Executive Vice President of the Global Intellectual Property Center Mark Elliot issued the following statement in response to release of the 2017 Special 301 Report by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR):

“American companies must be able to operate in a free and fair trading environment that respects the intellectual property rights on which our innovators rely. We must remain committed to enforcing current trade agreements in order to protect one of the U.S.’s greatest assets: our intellectual property.

“Many of the countries this report identifies as providing inadequate IP protections also score poorly on the U.S. Chamber’s International IP Index. IP enforcement is not a concession that countries make to one another; rather, it is an investment in economic development and growth. By denying the economic opportunities afforded by a strong IP model, these countries are ultimately doing their own citizens the greatest disservice.

“Almost a year after the announcement of its long-anticipated National IPR Policy, India continues to dismiss the need for substantive changes to its IP laws and regulations. This is disappointing at best and distracts from some of the more positive steps found in the IPR policy: efforts to streamline IP administration, recognition of IP’s contributions to domestic innovation, and talk of investment in state-level IP offices. We will continue to encourage the Indian government to address the biggest gaps in its IP protections, including: uncertainties and challenges in the patent system (with particular regard for computer-related inventions (CRI) and Section 3(d) of the Patent Act), the need to modernize copyright laws, and the need for regulatory data protections.

“We will continue to work within these markets to promote the value of IP-driven solutions and counter the voices that would undermine the global innovation economy.

” The U.S. Chamber’s Special 301 submission to USTR provided an overall assessment of global systemic IP trends, including analysis from the Chamber’s 2017 International IP Index.

Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)