USA Removed Romania from Intellectual Property Rights Protection List

Romania has been removed from the United States intellectual property rights protection watch list.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR), the US government agency in charge of international trade relations, has released Special Report 301 for 2022, in which Romania is removed from the “Watch List” for the first time in over 25 years, indicating that we can go beyond the limits previously set in terms of intellectual property protection.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) publishes the Special 301 Report every year, which outlines trade barriers faced by US companies and products due to intellectual property laws in other countries, such as copyright, patents, and trademarks. The USTR must identify nations that do not provide “appropriate and effective” intellectual property rights protection or “fair and equitable market access to United States people who rely on intellectual property rights” by April 30 of each year.

Romania is removed from the Watch List this year due to taking significant actions to improve IP protection and enforcement.  These actions include the appointment of its first-ever national IP enforcement coordinator, establishment of a new department of the economic police dedicated to online piracy cases, dedication of additional officers to IP investigations, and the General Prosecutor Office Intellectual Property Coordination Department’s resumed coordination of IP working group sessions.

USTR Releases 2022 Special 301 Report on Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement

Dan Carbunaru, the Romanian Government spokesman, stated on April 28 that Romania was acknowledged as a trustworthy partner of the United States in terms of intellectual property protection.

Romania has been recognized as a reliable partner for the United States in terms of intellectual property protection. This is the first time this has happened in more than 25 years. The United States Trade Representative, the US government’s agency dealing with international trade relations, published yesterday the special report 301 for the current year, in which for the first time Romania is, after more than 25 years, removed from the watch list. , a watchlist that has included Romania for more than 25 years, the removal from this list is a formal recognition that we have the ability to exceed the limits repeatedly signaled by the transatlantic partner on the protection of intellectual property rights, the elimination of our country from on this list reflecting the recognition of the progress that Romania has made in the last year, especially to improve the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, as well as the attention of the Romanian Government in streamlining this field, through a major contribution to economic development and socio-cultural.

Dan Carbunaru, Romanian Government spokesman

The United States Trade Representative’s Special Report 301 highlights nations that do not offer adequate and effective intellectual property protection and fair and equitable market access for firms that rely on intellectual property protection.

Romania was first placed on the Watch List in 1995, and after three years of surveillance, it was permanently added to the list in 1999, where it remained the only EU member state on the list until 2021.

Romania’s removal from the Special Report 301 Watch List reflects the Romanian Government’s focus on streamlining this field with a significant contribution to economic development and socio-cultural society and the important steps Romania has taken in the last year to improve the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.