Government of Barbados to take all administrative action necessary to ensure that United States composers and songwriters receive compensation owed, without undue delay, for the public performance of their musical works. In addition, the United States is concerned that section 82 of the Copyright Act of 1988 creates a compulsory licensing scheme allowing for the interception and retransmission of United States cable programming by local cable operators without the consent of, and without adequately compensating, United States rights holders. The United States urges the Government of Barbados to repeal this provision. The United States looks forward to working with Barbados to resolve these and other issues.
Belarus
Belarus remains on the Watch List in 2013. In 2012, Belarus acceded to the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks, and improved the patent application process. However, Belarus should take further steps to implement an effective IPR enforcement regime. The United States remains concerned about Belarus' implementation of the IPR commitments made under the United States-Belarus Trade Relations Agreement of 1993. Piracy and counterfeiting remain widespread in Belarus, and IPR enforcement efforts continue to be weak and ineffective. The United States continues to urge Belarus to enact all regulations necessary to implement the amendments to the Belarusian Criminal and Administrative Codes related to IPR that have been pending since 2011, and to implement fully the WIPO Internet Treaties. The United States also encourages Belarus to harmonize its IPR regime with the regulatory principles adopted under the Customs Union established with Kazakhstan and Russia. Belarus should work with these countries to ensure that the Customs Union principles are executed in a manner that most effectively protects IPR and create the required unified trademark registry. For example, Belarus should implement and exercise the Customs Union Customs Code provisions on ex officio authority for customs officials in order to improve the investigation of suspected infringement cases, seizure of infringing goods, and prosecution of IPR violations. The United States will continue to monitor Belarus' progress on these and other matters.
Bolivia
Bolivia remains on the Watch List in 2013. In 2012, Bolivia's Intellectual Property Office continued its IPR public awareness efforts and Bolivia's police conducted two successful raids against manufacturers of counterfeit products. However, rampant piracy and counterfeiting persist. The United States is concerned about the alleged increase in the production of infringing goods in Bolivia. Bolivia should take steps to improve its enforcement of IPR, including by providing for more efficient prosecutions, by improving coordination among Bolivian enforcement authorities, and by allocating additional resources to enforcement officials. The United States will continue to monitor Bolivia's progress on these and other matters.
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