The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) launched an investigation into Kuwait’s intellectual property regime in an effort to determine if the country has addressed enforcement concerns raised by a Special 301 report issued earlier this year. The trade representative announced the probe in this year’s Special 301 report, stating that the investigation was “prompted both by Kuwait’s failure for more than 14 years to draft and pass amendments to its copyright law to meet international standards, and the recent sharp decline in enforcement actions against copyright and trademark infringement.” The USTR is seeking comments from the public, businesses and foreign governments to help it decide whether Kuwait should be identified for Special 301 violations and moved from its watch list to the priority watch list. (law360.com; 3 October 2014)
