U.S. takes Canada off priority watch list on intellectual property
OTTAWA — The United States is crediting tighter rules in the new North American free-trade deal for its decision to move Canada off a list of countries that it says are the worst violators of intellectual-property rights.
Not that Canada is completely in the clear, however: the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is keeping Canada on a lower-level “watch list” over continuing concerns about online piracy and pharmaceuticals patents.
Canada was first added to the so-called priority watch list last year along with 11 other countries — including China, India and Russia — that the U.S. deems the worst offenders when it comes to intellectual property.
The U.S. trade office at the time criticized Canada for failing to crack down on counterfeit and pirated goods at the border as well as expressing concerns about drugs and copyright protection, particularly online.