US continues to place India on IPR Priority Watch List

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US continues to place India on IPR Priority Watch List

By Tanushka Joshi

India once again is one of the 32 trading partners on the IPR Priority Watch List 2021 annually released by the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The USTR releases its Special 301 report annually putting in spotlight all such trading partners of the US whose IP protection regimes are weak highlighting their shortcoming and inadequacies. The report has criticized India’s IPR regime as inadequate and as one of the world’s most challenging major economies with respect to IP protection and enforcement on several grounds, like vagueness in the interpretation of the 

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Indian Patents Act, weak enforcement of IP by the courts, long waiting periods to receive patent approval, and excessive reporting requirements and so on. It is expected that India’s IPR law, protection and enforcement strategies will be a subject of particularly intense bilateral engagement during the coming year. The report also mentioned that the US is contemplating about the legislation proposed earlier this year seeking to abolish the IPAB.

By Tanushka Joshi