The US government has put India and 12 other countries in Priority Watch List for failing to prevent the theft of copyrighted property. The 2012 Special 301 Report (pdf) states that India has made limited progress on intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement in 2011, and its legal framework and enforcement system remain weak, and puts the country on a priority watch list along with Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela. The report points towards the following issues in India: - Stalling of the the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010 (pdf): which proposed partial implementation of the WIPO Internet Treaties and other reforms appears to have stalled. - Patent proceedings: The United States displayed concerns over inefficient streamlining of patent opposition proceedings and ineffective system for protecting against unfair commercial use, as well as unauthorized disclosure of test or other data generated. It has urged India to take additional steps to improve coordination with enforcement officials of certain state governments within India, address its judicial inefficiencies and to strengthen criminal enforcement efforts by imposing deterrent level sentences and giving IPR prosecutions greater priority. The report added that the United States will monitor developments concerning compulsory licensing of patents in India following the broad interpretation of Indian law in a recent decision by the Controller General of Patents, while also bearing in mind the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health found in the Intellectual Property and Health Policy section of this Report. - Public Performance of music: Growing challenges facing rights holders seeking to collect royalties that are legally owed…
