Context

• The US organisation United States Trade Representative (USTR) has placed India on the watch list in terms of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
• India remains one of the world's most challenged major economies with respect to intellectual property (IP) protection.

Key Points

• Argentina, Chile, China, Indonesia, Russia and Venezuela are also included in the watch list in the 2024 Special 301 report released by the US Trade Representatives (USTR). The Dominican Republic has been removed from the monitoring list.
• India has been in the ‘Primary Watch List’ for the last decade. The Special 301 Report is an annual review of the global state of intellectual property protection and enforcement.
• In the context of this report, USTR said that over the past year, India has not been uniform in terms of intellectual property protection and its enforcement.

Reason for keeping India included in this list

• The report said that although progress has been made under the US-India Trade Policy Forum in resolving some cases with trademark infringement investigations, some long-standing concerns remain. These include high rates of online piracy.
• Apart from this, the issue of patents is a matter of special concern in India. Patent applicants face long waiting periods to receive a patent grant.
• Added to this are the potential risks of patent invalidation under India's Patent Act, lack of presumption of patent validity and narrowing standards of patentability.

Important Facts For Exam

Intellectual Property Rights

• It is noteworthy that these rights are defined in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which provides for the right to benefit from the protection of moral and material interests resulting from being the author of creative, literary or scientific productions.

IPR related organisations

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

• Established :14 July 1967
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Type :UN Specialized Agency
• Member countries :193

Important conventions related to IPR

• The importance of intellectual property was initially acknowledged in the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (1883) and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1886).
• Both treaties are governed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).