Untitled Document
WASHINGTON - Israel is among the world's worst offenders when it comes to violation
of intellectual property rights, a U.S. International Trade Commission report
says.
The Commission decided to blacklist Israel as one of 14 countries identified
as serious infringers when it comes to the protection of intellectual property.
The decision comes mostly as a result of Israeli-American disagreements over
the protection of pharmaceutical companies' information. The U.S. says Israeli
authorities allow Israeli drug companies to examine research information from
patent-holding foreign pharmaceutical companies.
Negotiations fail to resolve disagreements
In the past year, Israel and the U.S. have been engaged in negotiations in
a bid to resolve the matter, but the Americans were not satisfied with measures
taken by Israel.
Countries that have been blacklisted by the U.S. are subject to special American
supervision in areas such as film, music, and software.
Other countries placed in the unflattering list include Indonesia, Argentina,
Brazil, India, Venezuela, Turkey, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, China, the Philippines,
Russia, and Pakistan.
