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Important Strides For Other Nations -- Brazil, Taiwan and Pakistan Strengthen Anti-Piracy Efforts
WASHINGTON, DC – [The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and other copyright associations, today filed a report with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) outlining intellectual property protection concerns in 68 different nations. The groups’ report, submitted as part of the so-called “Special 301” process where the federal government annually reviews whether the efforts of foreign governments to protect intellectual property are adequate, again asks USTR to designate Russia as a Priority Foreign Country (PFC). Such a designation could lead to the imposition of trade sanctions. Below is a comment from the RIAA’s Neil Turkewitz, Executive Vice President, International.]
“This filing underscores the importance that the U.S. copyright industries attach to the need for radical reform in Russia. Russia has emerged in recent years as one the world’s leading producers and exporters of pirate discs. The Russian government has failed to respond appropriately to this open lawlessness. Many of the plants currently producing pirate product are actually located on government premises – a form of tacit government involvement that we have not witnessed since China in the mid-1990s.
“We hope that recent comments by President Putin suggest that Russian law enforcement officials will soon undertake serious, immediate action to curb rampant intellectual property theft.
“There are some promising signals, but for the moment, there is little doubt that Russia fails to provide effective protection as required under international obligations. We strongly encourage USTR to designate Russia as a ‘Priority Foreign Country’ and to move quickly to remove Russia’s eligibility for specific trade benefits. Congress has repeatedly made clear that support for most favored nation trade status will not be forthcoming unless this situation is adequately resolved. We hope that the Russian government will promptly address the inadequacies in its enforcement regime that impede its entry into the WTO.
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Awwww, it's not fair, everyone is picking on me, boo hoo hoo. Are you trying to justify theft / piracy / copywrite infringement using the "But Tommy is doing it, why can't I"? How about the classic response... If those people breaking the rules without backlash all jumped off a bridge, would you too?