Israel Removed from Special 301 Report

Washington, D.C. – United States Trade Representative ("USTR") Michael Froman announced last Friday that Israel is being removed from the Special 301 Report Watch List. Israel will no longer be listed in the Special 301 Report, which identifies trading partners that do not adequately and effectively protect intellectual property rights.

According a USTR blog post, Israel has passed patent legislation that satisfies the remaining commitments Israel made in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) both countries signed in 2010. The MOU outlined a series of legal and regulatory measures Israel would take to make Israel’s patent system more transparent, efficient and effective. USTR moved Israel from the Priority Watch List to the Watch List in September 2012, based on progress made under the same MOU.