Greece should expand on recent enforcement efforts to address the continuing widespread availability of pirated and counterfeit goods. The United States also continues to encourage Greece to improve its judicial system, which suffers from significant delays and few infringement convictions. The United States looks forward to continuing to work with Greece to address these and other issues.
Guatemala
Guatemala remains on the Watch List in 2013. The United States remains optimistic about the coordination of IPR enforcement efforts in Guatemala. However, enforcement efforts weakened in 2012, and overall prosecutions were significantly down compared to the previous year. While the United States was encouraged by the 2011 enactment of legislation to strengthen penalties against the production and distribution of counterfeit medicines, the United States is not aware of any successful prosecutions under the law in 2012. Additional problems include a severe lack of resources. Trademark squatting is a significant and growing concern, and government use of unlicensed software remains problematic. In addition, pirated and counterfeit goods continue to be widely available in Guatemala, and enforcement efforts are hampered by limited resources and the need for better coordination among all enforcement agencies. The United States encourages Guatemala to continue its enforcement efforts against the manufacture of pirated and counterfeit goods, and to take steps to improve the operation of its judicial system. The United States looks forward to continuing to work with Guatemala to address these and other matters.
Israel
USTR moved Israel to the Watch List in September 2012 because Israel implemented the first portion of the Understanding on IPR that it concluded with the United States in 2010.
The United States and Israel reached the Understanding, which concerns several longstanding issues regarding Israel's regime for pharmaceutical products, on February 18, 2010. As part of the Understanding, Israel committed to strengthen its laws on protection of pharmaceutical test data and patent term extension, and to publish patent applications promptly after the expiration of a period of eighteen months from the time an application is filed. The Understanding provided, among other things, that the Government of Israel would submit legislation regarding these three matters to the Knesset. Israel has submitted legislation to the Knesset regarding all three issues, and the bills concerning pharmaceutical test data and patent publication have been enacted. The United States urges Israel to pass the final bill so that, pursuant to the Understanding, Israel will be removed from the Watch List.
Separately, the United States encourages Israel to ratify and implement the WIPO Internet Treaties. Doing so would strengthen Israel's IPR regime, and would afford rights holders with additional effective enforcement remedies against copyright infringement that occurs over the Internet. The United States also encourages Israel to amend its copyright law to provide for statutory damages.
49
