copyright laws, Belarus has not provided appropriate protection for pre-existing works and sound recordings. In addition, it appears that further amendments are needed to bring Belarusian copyright law into compliance with the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. Enforcement of intellectual property laws in Belarus also remains weak and ineffective. Piracy levels remain high and the potential for increased piracy remains a concern due to the migration of optical media production facilities from neighboring countries. While Belarus has amended its Criminal Code to provide for deterrent penalties for IPR violations, there are still no provisions authorizing ex officio raids and seizures. Furthermore, Belarus' Civil Code does not provide for ex parte searches. We are also concerned that the Armita optical media plant case has not progressed beyond the initiation of a criminal investigation and that no criminal penalties or deterrent sentences have resulted. We encourage Belarus to aggressively enforce its IPR laws and to take actions to deter future illegal operations. In addition, we urge Belarus to fulfill its obligations under the 1993 Bilateral Trade Agreement and will continue to monitor its progress.
BELIZE
This is the first time Belize has been placed on the Watch List in the past fifteen years. While IPR legislation in Belize is generally in line with international standards, the Government of Belize has made only minimal efforts at enforcement. This has led to the availability of counterfeit goods across many sectors, especially in the pharmaceutical and tobacco sectors. Furthermore, there has been insufficient cooperation between rights holders and government entities and lackluster responses to concerns raised by such rights holders. Another concern is the lack of enforcement of IPR in the Corozal Commercial Free Zone, which has encouraged infringement and related activities, including criminal activities. We urge Belize to improve enforcement efforts by promoting increased cooperation in counterfeiting investigations and implementing enforcement actions in the Corozal Commercial Free Zone.
BOLIVIA
Bolivia's existing legislation for IPR protection is deficient. Bolivia has failed to provide for ex parte civil search orders. In addition, damages are inadequate, enforcement efforts have been sporadic and largely ineffective, and border enforcement remains weak. While the 1992 Copyright Law recognizes copyright infringement as a public offense and the new Bolivian Criminal Procedures Code began to provide for the criminal prosecution of IPR violations, enforcement by Bolivian Courts has been disappointing. Unfortunately, no progress has been made on amending the copyright law to bring it up to international standards. Furthermore, it appears that the Bolivian government agencies use unlicensed software. Piracy rates for videos, sound recordings, and software remain among the highest in Latin America, according to industry sources. Despite these serious deficiencies in enforcement, the Mesa Administration has publicly committed itself to transparency and has demonstrated at multiple levels a desire to work with the United States on institutionalization, combating corruption, and increasing the efficiency of the Bolivian Government. We welcome this commitment and urge the Bolivian Government to continue in its efforts to improve enforcement.
BULGARIA
Bulgaria is being placed on the Watch List for the first time in five years following its inclusion on the Watch List and Priority Watch List from 1996-1999. After a dramatic decline in domestic production and export of pirated optical disc media in the late 1990's, there has been a steady resurgence of piracy, mainly in the sale of pirated optical disc media, in Bulgaria over the past few years. Pirated optical discs, mass imported finished discs, and illegally burned CD-Rs are prevalent in the domestic market. Poor
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