USTR "301" Report Due Today

The USTR is expected to release its annual "301" report today. I wouldn't be surprised to see Canada in the top three "piracy haven" countries on the priority watch list - along with Russia and China. At the Fordham conference earlier this month, Stan McCoy of USTR put Canada right up there in his rhetoric. Will Canada be #1 or #3?

Here are 21 reasons why Canada shouldn't even be on this list, and why the USA should look in the mirror.

HK

PS - the 2010 Report is out. Here's what it says about Canada:

Canada
Canada will remain on the Priority Watch List in 2010. The United States looks forward to the government of Canada’s implementation of its previous commitments, recently reaffirmed in 2010, to improve IPR protection, and is encouraged by the high level of cooperation between the Canadian and United States governments on IPR matters. However, Canada has not completed the legislative reforms in the copyright area that are necessary to deliver on its commitments. The United States urges Canada to enact legislation in the near term to update its copyright laws and address the challenge of Internet piracy. Canada should fully implement the WIPO Internet Treaties, which Canada signed in 1997. Canada’s weak enforcement of intellectual property rights is also of concern, and the United States continues to encourage Canada to improve its IPR enforcement system to provide for deterrent sentences and stronger enforcement powers. In particular, border enforcement continues to be weak. The United States encourages Canada to provide its border officials with the authority to seize suspected infringing materials without the need for a court order. The United States will continue to follow Canada’s progress toward implementing an adequate and effective IPR protection and enforcement regime, including its progress on actions to address Internet piracy and improve border enforcement.