Special 301 Report (Intellectual Property Rights)
Canada's relatively weak protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets) has attracted domestic and international attention. Since 1995, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has placed Canada on the U.S. Government’s Special 301 "Watch List", which designates U.S. trading partners that have particular problems with respect to IPR protection.
The Canadian Government has taken a number of steps in recent years to improve its protection of intellectual property rights, including strengthening data protection regulations, criminalizing camcording in a theater, developing an IPR action strategy within the Security and Prosperity Partnership, and participating in Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations. The Harper Government is considering updating Canada's Copyright Act to better reflect the rapidly evolving, modern digital age and to implement the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet Treaties, which Canada signed in 1997. The Government of Canada is also examining how to improve Canada’s enforcement regime against counterfeiting and piracy, including the border.
Special 301 Reports
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