In its annual report on the state of intellectual property protection worldwide, published on Thursday 25 April, the United States Office of the Trade Representative (USTR) condemns the European Union's strategy for the protection of geographical indications.
This report, known as the 301 Special Report, allows the United States to target any country that does not provide “effective and efficient” protection for the intellectual property of American operators. Placed first on a “Watch List” and then a “Priority Watch List”, these States may ultimately face enforcement measures under Section 301 of the Trade Act – including tariff sanctions – or dispute settlement procedures under the World Trade Organization.
Condemned GIs
As far as the EU is concerned, the report highlights the “negative market access effects” of the European policy of protection regarding geographical indications (GIs) for US operators. The EU GI agenda remains “highly concerning” as they compromise the scope of trademarks and restrict access to markets for US products using GI names, the report notes. He recalled that “the United States runs a significant deficit in food and agricultural trade with the EU. And the EU GI system contributes to this asymmetry”.
The USTR underlines the EU's strategy of actively promoting GIs as part of its bilateral and multilateral trade relations.
Washington is therefore committed to countering this strategy and circumventing European influence in this area, along with Japan, Singapore, Canada and the Mercosur countries, among others.
Countries are also pinned down
Some EU Member States are also singled out as part of this USTR report.
Problems of online piracy and broadcasting remain “a challenging copyright enforcement issue” in Greece, the Netherlands and Romania.
Greece and Romania, who are also on the USTR's Watch List, are also included among those states that do not have effective policies or procedures in place to ensure that their own government agencies do not use unlicensed software.
To read the report, go to: https://bit.ly/2UXnewd. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)