Ukraine remained on the Priority Watch List in the annual report of the Office of the US Trade Representative (2017 Special 301 Report) regarding the state of the protection of intellectual property in the world. In the report, along with Ukraine, such status was designated to China, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Algeria, Kuwait, Russia, Argentina, Chile and Venezuela. In total, the report includes 34 countries. The status of Priority Foreign Country, or, as it is also called, the status of the main pirate country in the world, was not designated to any this year.
Depending on the severity of the violations, countries fall into one of three categories: the Watch List, the Priority Watch List, or the Priority Foreign Country. Depending on the category, different sanctions can be applied to the country, beginning with bilateral consultations and ending with real economic sanctions.
Ukraine has been on the list since 1997. In 2001, Ukraine was given the PFC status, and as a result, some Ukrainian exports to the States were subject to economic sanctions as the US abolished preferential customs terms for them.
Ukraine got rid of the PFC status in 2006 but was assigned it again it 2013. In 2015, Ukraine was put on the Priority Watch List.
In the current report, experts from the Office of the US Trade Representative positively assessed some of the measures in the direction of improving the protection of intellectual property rights that Ukraine has recently taken.
Among other things, the US hailed the adoption in 2016 of the legislation for the creation of the Higher Specialized Court on Intellectual Property, which should begin its work in September 2017; On the liquidation of the State Intellectual Property Service, the adoption of the law On State Support of Cinematography in Ukraine, which strengthens the protection of intellectual property rights.