The United States has decided to remove Pakistan from its 2006 intellectual property rights (IPR) Priority Watch List due to improvement undertaken by Islamabad during the last 12 months, officials said. Such improvements include the government's closing of many pirate optical disc factories and improved IPR protection enforcement efforts, including the establishment of the Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan (IPOP) to centralise and coordinate IPR enforcement. Pakistan was placed on the US priority watch list in 2005 due to non-implementation of the required steps to eliminate IPR violations. According to the 2006 US Trade Representative's (USTR) ‘Special 301' report, Pakistan will be moved to the Watch List in 2006 from the Priority Watch List. In January 2006, the USTR terminated a review whereby Washington was considering whether to remove Pakistan's benefits under the Generalised System of Preferences because of inadequate enforcement of copyright laws. The 2006 ‘Special 301' annual review examines in detail the adequacy and effectiveness of IPR protection in 87 countries. Based on a process of information gathering and analysis, the USTR has identified 48 countries designated to the category of Priority Watch List, Watch List, or Section 306 Monitoring.
