April 25, 2019
Publishers Welcome 2019 USTR Special 301 Report Outlining Continuing Copyright Protection and Enforcement Concerns
Washington, DC; April 25, 2019 — The Association of American Publishers (AAP) welcomes today’s release of the 2019 Special 301 Report by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The Special 301 Report continues to be a critical tool for policymakers to identify and highlight barriers that impede the ability of U.S. copyright owners to successfully compete in foreign markets, including markets of importance to the publishing industry.
AAP is gratified that the U.S. government again highlighted the need for Canada to address the harm caused by the undefined fair dealing exception for education to educational publishers and authors, noting the government’s continued monitoring of the parliamentary review of the Copyright Modernization Act. China is again listed as a Priority Watch List country, as many of its longstanding issues remain unresolved for the government has not made the necessary structural changes to address inadequate IP enforcement, nor moved to advance the long-stalled copyright law reform process.
“AAP welcomes USTR’s heightened bilateral engagement with trading partner countries like Canada and China on issues of continued importance to the publishing industry, and we are hopeful that progress will be made in addressing shortcomings in these, and other countries’ IP protection and enforcement regimes,” said Lui Simpson, Vice President for Global Policy at AAP.
The 2019 Special 301 Report from USTR is available here.
About AAP:
AAP | The Association of American Publishers represents the leading book, journal, and education publishers in the United States on matters of law and policy, advocating for outcomes that incentivize the publication of creative expression, professional content, and learning solutions. As essential participants in local markets and the global economy, our members invest in and inspire the exchange of ideas, transforming the world we live in one word at a time. Find us online at aapublishers.mystagingwebsite.com or on twitter at @AmericanPublish