Hatch Blasts Administration on Approach to India IP Violations
The Obama administration’s independent review of Indian intellectual property rights protections falls far short of forcing real changes to that country’s IP policies, said incoming Senate Finance Committee chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in a Dec. 12 statement (here) that said the administration has now closed its investigation. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in late April it would complete the Out-of-Cycle Review after it declined to name India a Priority Foreign Country, the most severe classification of an intellectual property rights violator, in its annual Special 301 Watch List report (see 14101021). “If we are to successfully address India’s on-going disregard for the protection of U.S. intellectual property rights, it’s vital the Government of India and the Obama Administration act to develop a strong and meaningful action plan with concrete timetables for implementation,” said Hatch in the statement.
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U.S. industry representatives are hoping recently-elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi will crackdown on IP violations, but so far U.S. industry is not convinced by new government’s commitment (see 14100624). Hatch echoed many U.S. industry concerns laid out in comments on the review (here). In one of the those comments, former Finance Committee staff and partner at Akin Gump, Brian Pomper, who is representing the Alliance for Fair Trade with India, criticized India compulsory licensing and copyright infringement (here).