2013 Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review of El Salvador: Request for Public Comment

SUMMARY: Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 2242) requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to identify countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection. (The provisions of Section 182 are commonly referred to as the ``Special 301'' provisions of the Trade Act.) The USTR is required to determine which, if any, of these countries should be identified as Priority Foreign Countries. In addition, USTR has created a ``Priority Watch List'' and ``Watch List'' under Special 301 provisions. Placement of a trading partner on the Priority Watch List or Watch List indicates that particular problems exist in that country with respect to IPR protection, enforcement, or market access for persons relying on intellectual property. Countries placed on the Priority Watch List are the focus of increased bilateral attention concerning the problem areas.

In the 2013 Special 301 Report (www.ustr.gov), USTR announced that, in order to monitor progress on specific IPR issues, Out-of-Cycle Reviews would be conducted for El Salvador and Spain. At this time, USTR requests written submissions from the public concerning any act, policy, or practice that is relevant to the decision regarding whether El Salvador should be identified under Section 182 of the Trade Act. Requests for written submissions relating to the review of Spain will be made in a separate notice at a later date.

DATES: Submissions from the general public must be received on or before 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 13, 2013. Foreign governments who choose to make written submissions may do so on or before 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 20, 2013.

Requirements for Comments: Comments should include a description of the problems experienced by the submitter and the effect of the acts, policies, and practices on U.S. industry. Comments should be as detailed as possible and should provide all necessary information for assessing the effect of the acts, policies, and practices. Any comments that include quantitative loss claims should be accompanied by the methodology used in calculating such estimated losses. Comments must be in English.

Federal Register Notice