Special 301
The Special 301 Report is an annual review of the global state of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement, that the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) conducts pursuant to Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (enacted in 1994). Each year, the Report is released on or around April 30.
This Report reflects the Administration’s resolve to encourage and maintain effective IPR protection and enforcement worldwide. It identifies a wide range of concerns, such as troubling “indigenous innovation”; policies that may unfairly disadvantage U.S. right holders; the continuing challenges of copyright piracy over the Internet; and ongoing, systemic IPR enforcement issues in many trading partners around the world.