Special 301

The Special 301 statute requires the United States Trade Representative
(USTR) to review annually the condition of intellectual property protection
among U.S. trading partners. Submissions are accepted from industry after
which the USTR, weighing all relevant information, makes a determination as
to whether a country presents excessive barriers to trade with the United
States by virtue of its inadequate protection of intellectual property. If
the USTR makes a positive determination, a country may be named to the list
of: (a) Priority Foreign Countries (the most egregious), (b) the Priority
Watch List, or(c) the Watch List. Special 301 (a variation of Section 301) was created
by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988.