USTR Starts 'Special 301' Out-of-Cycle Review to Possibly Remove Thailand From Priority Watch List
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is starting an out-of-cycle review of Thailand’s “Special 301” status because of positive steps the country has taken in its intellectual property regime, USTR announced Sept. 15. USTR put Thailand on the Special 301 priority watch list in its 2017 Special 301 report released in April. USTR had “noted that the United States was prepared to review that status if Thailand continued to take positive action on IP issues and made substantial progress in addressing the concerns described in the Special 301 report,” the agency said in a statement. The Trump administration has been “closely engaging” with Thailand on improving IP protection and enforcement, and the nation has taken recent steps to improve enforcement against pirated and counterfeit goods, including enhanced agency coordination and a continuing focus on investigations and raids, USTR said. Thailand also acceded to the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks in August, which makes it easier for U.S. companies to file for trademark protection, USTR said.
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Furthermore, Thailand has been addressing a backlog of patent and trademark applications, including hiring more examiners, USTR said. USTR will publish a Federal Register notice seeking comments on Thailand’s IP record, the agency said. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer welcomed Thai Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn to a Washington meeting Sept. 15, during which Lighthizer stressed the need to progress on customs, goods, worker rights, and “other issues” discussed during the July Trade and Investment Framework Agreement meeting, USTR said.