US removes Pakistan from list of worst IP Violators

A list of the world’s worst intellectual property violators compiled by the US has finally removed Pakistan due to the introduction and implementation of improving copyright laws.

For the first time ever, Pakistan didn’t make it to the list of worst IP violators.

The US Trade Representative (USTR) published the 2016 Special 301 Report along with a full list of the worst intellectual property violators on the planet. The exclusion of Pakistan comes due to significant efforts made by the country to implement key provisions of the Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan Act of 2012.

Further more, the determination in which Islamabad has approached IP rights since 2015 also contributed enough to remove it from the Priority Watch List, a place it has occupied since ever.

However, Pakistan is also scheduled for an out-of-cycle review in the fall of this year. The review will determine whether the country fulfills commitments it made during the 2016 annual review cycle to continue to improve certain aspects of IPR protection and enforcement.

The 2016 report also made another surprising move by adding Switzerland to the Watch List, citing rising US concerns regarding specific difficulties in Switzerland’s system of online copyright protection and enforcement.

Source- IPpro