01.5.2007

Bulgaria Off US Intellectual Property Protection List

Bulgaria is no longer on the US Trade Department's list of countries that do not provide an adequate level of intellectual property protection or enforcement.

The department's annual report to the Congress, the so-called Special 301 report, released late on Monday, names a total of 43 countries that will be monitored over the next year.

The country was considered a hotbed of software and music piracy less than a decade ago, but has made systematic efforts over the last several years to cut down on copyright infringements.

This year's report mentions Bulgaria as one of the five trading partners, together with the EU, Croatia, Latvia and the Bahamas that are removed from the report's scope.

The worst offenders are China and Russia, as well as another ten countries, including Ukraine and Turkey from among Bulgaria's regional neighbours.

Another 30 countries are on the lower-level watch list, including Romania.

1 May 2007, Tuesday
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