India remains on USTR list of IP problem countries

India continues to be on the 'Priority Watch List' of the US Trade Representative (USTR) for lack of sufficient measurable improvements to its Intellectual Property framework. Despite making "meaningful progress" to enhance IP protection and enforcement in some areas, India did not resolve recent and long-standing challenges, and created new ones.

Long-standing IP challenges facing US businesses in India include those which make it difficult for innovators to receive, maintain, and enforce patents in India, particularly for pharmaceuticals; ineffectual enforcement activities, copyright policies that fail to incentivize the creation and commercialization of content, and an outdated and insufficient trade secrets legal framework, the USTR said in its report.

The US placed 10 countries, including some of its major trading partners like India and China, on the list, alleging that enforcement of IPR has deteriorated or remained at inadequate levels and the Americans who rely on their protection have difficulty with fair and equitable market access.