U.S. takes Israel off IPR priority watch list

   The U.S. government on Monday removed Israel from the Special 301 Priority Watch List for improving its intellectual property rights (IPR) protections.
   “Israel’s action reflects the commitment of both the United States and Israel to providing transparent, efficient and effective patent systems for innovative and generic medicine producers,” said U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in a statement.
   Israel’s removal from the list is based on steps it has taken under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and Israel signed in 2010. Under the MOU, both governments agreed that Israel would introduce three laws to the Knesset to improve the country’s pharmaceutical patent regime. Israel has now introduced these laws, so the United States is moving Israel from the Priority Watch List to the Watch List. As called for in the MOU, the United States will remove Israel from the Special 301 Watch List once the three laws are enacted.
   Under the Special 301 provisions, countries that have the most onerous or egregious acts, policies, or practices, which have the greatest adverse impact on relevant U.S. products must be designated as “Priority Foreign Countries,” the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said. In addition to this category of countries, USTR has created a “Priority Watch List” and a “Watch List to help monitor IPR and market access conditions in other countries.”