US retains India on Priority Watch List, no OCR this year

The US has retained India on its Priority Watch List for nations on intellectual property concerns even as it softened its stand on the country's improved IP environment.
India will remain on the Priority Watch List in 2015, but with the full expectation that the new channels for engagement created in the past year will bring about substantive and measurable improvements in India's IPR regime for the benefit of a broad range of innovative and creative industries, said the 2015 Special 301 Report.
The annual report draws attention to the increased bilateral engagement in 2015 between the US and India on IPR concerns, following the 2014 Out-of-Cycle Review (OCR) of India on this issue.

Last year, the US Trade Representative (USTR) in its annual 301 report had expressed its deep concerns over the IP environment in India and had announced to do an Out-of-Cycle review for India.
"We are not announcing another OCR at this time, but will monitor progress over the coming months, and are prepared to take further action, if necessary," said the report.
Thirteen countries - Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Venezuela - are on the Priority Watch List.
These countries will be the subject of particularly intense bilateral engagement during the coming year, said the report.

Countries on the Priority Watch List present the most significant concerns this year regarding insufficient IPR protection or enforcement.