IP Watch List 2009

This is the inaugural edition of the Consumers International IP Watch List, a survey that examines the intellectual property (IP) laws and enforcement practices of a range of countries, from the perspective of the global consumer advocacy body, Consumers International, an OSI grantee. The 2009 Consumers International IP Watch List covers 16 countries from around the world.

The list of countries with the best track record of protecting the rights and interests of consumers is dominated by large Asian economies; perhaps surprisingly, the list also includes the United States, which has regularly criticized those same countries for failing to adequately protect and enforce intellectual property rights. This reflects the fact that US policymakers often apply double standards when comparing their own copyright system to systems from abroad.

The countries whose copyright regimes most disregard the interests of consumers are also an odd grouping. The worst, by far, is the country in which copyright law first developed in the 16th century: the United Kingdom. It is joined by a number of developing and transitional economies, whose outdated copyright laws fail to take advantage of all of the flexibilities that international law allows them to benefit local consumers. Regrettably, this is characteristic of the copyright laws of many developing countries.

Contents

• Highlights
• Best practices
• Development of the IP Watch list
  • A response to the USTR Special 301 Report
  • Why are flexibilities in copyright law important?
  • Challenging powerful rights holder interests
• Results of the Consumers International IP Watch List 2009
• Conclusion