Identification of Countries Under Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974: Request for Public Comment

Resumo

Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 2242), requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to identify countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection. Section 182 is commonly referred to as the "Special 301" provision of the Trade Act. In addition, USTR is required to determine which of those countries should be identified as Priority Foreign Countries. On April 30, 2005, USTR announced the results of the 2005 Special 301 review and stated that Out-of-Cycle Reviews (OCRs) would be conducted for Russia, Canada, Indonesia and the Philippines. USTR will conduct these OCRs in early 2006. USTR requests written comments from the public concerning the acts, policies, and practices relevant for this review under Section 182 of the Trade Act.