SINGAPORE has not been blacklisted by the US government for not
protecting intellectual property (IP) rights.
This, despite increasingly aggressive lobbying by the American
media industry to blackmark the Republic.
Singapore was not cited among the countries deemed to have poor
records of upholding copyrights, trademarks and patents, in an
annual watchlist called the Special 301 Report. It was published on
Sunday by the US Trade Representative (USTR) which oversees
America's trade agreements with its trading partners. A country on
the watchlist could face increased import tariffs, for example.
Some countries the USTR said had fallen short include China and
Russia, both of which are on its 'priority' watchlist of 12
particularly conspicuous offenders.
A further 20 countries - including Malaysia and Vietnam - are on
the watchlist, compiled following 'deliberation among all relevant
agencies within the US government, informed by extensive
consultation with affected stakeholders, foreign governments, the
US Congress, and other interested parties', the USTR said in its
54-page report. Singapore is one of 68 markets not on either
list.
It was mentioned only once, in passing, for its 'cooperative'
role alongside several other countries in the formulation of the
international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. The last time
the Republic was on the USTR's piracy watchlist - which is in its
23rd year running - was a six-year stretch between 1995 and
2000.
-- ST