[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 226 (Friday, November 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70092-70093]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-27984]
[[Page 70092]]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket No. USTR-2013-0038]
2013 Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review of El Salvador:
Identification of Countries Under Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974:
Request for Public Comment
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Request for written submissions from the public.
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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.
ADDRESSES: All comments should be sent electronically to http://www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2013-0038. Submissions should
contain the term ``2013 Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review of El
Salvador'' in the ``Type Comment'' field on http://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Diehl, Director for
Intellectual Property and Innovation, Office of the United States Trade
Representative, at (202) 395-6126.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 182 of the Trade Act,
USTR must identify those countries that deny adequate and effective
protection for intellectual property rights or deny fair and equitable
market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property
protection. Those countries that have the most onerous or egregious
acts, policies, or practices and whose acts, policies, or practices
have the greatest adverse impact (actual or potential) on relevant U.S.
products are to be identified as Priority Foreign Countries. Acts,
policies, or practices that are the basis of a country's designation as
a Priority Foreign Country are normally the subject of an investigation
under the Section 301 provisions of the Trade Act. USTR may not
identify a country as a Priority Foreign Country if that country is
entering into good faith negotiations or making significant progress in
bilateral or multilateral negotiations to provide adequate and
effective protection of intellectual property rights. In addition, USTR
has created a ``Priority Watch List'' and a ``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.
USTR requests that, where relevant, submissions mention particular
regions, provinces, states, or other subdivisions of a country in which
an act, policy, or practice deserve special attention. Submissions may
report positive or negative developments with respect to these
entities.
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.
To ensure the timely receipt and consideration of comments, USTR
strongly encourages interested persons to make on-line submissions,
using the www.regulations.gov Web site. To submit comments via
www.regulations.gov, enter docket number USTR-2013-0038 on the home
page and click ``Search.'' The site will provide a search-results page
listing all documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to
this notice and click on the link entitled ``Comment Now!'' (For
further information on using the www.regulations.gov Web site, please
consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on ``How to
use Regulations.gov'' on the bottom of the home page under ``Help''.)
The www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to provide comments
by filling in a ``Type Comment'' field, or by attaching a document
using an ``Upload File'' field. USTR prefers that comments be provided
in an attached document. If a document is attached, please type ``2013
Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review of El Salvador'' in the ``Type
Comment'' field. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or
Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. If the submission is in another format,
please indicate the name of the software application in the ``Type
Comment'' field.
For any comments submitted electronically containing business
confidential information, the file name of the business confidential
version should begin with the characters ``BC''. Any page containing
business confidential information must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS
CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page. Filers of submissions
containing business confidential information must also submit a public
version of their comments. The file name of the public version should
begin with the character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be followed
by the name of the person or entity submitting the comments. Filers
submitting comments containing no business confidential information
should name their file using the name of the person or entity
submitting the comments.
Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic
submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a
cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent
possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in
the same file as the submission itself, not as separate files.
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As noted, USTR strongly urges submitters to file comments through
www.regulations.gov, if at all possible. Any alternative arrangements
must be made with Anita Kyler in advance of transmitting a comment. Ms.
Kyler should be contacted at (202) 395-9665.
Public Inspection of Comments: Submissions will be placed in the
docket and open to public inspection pursuant to 15 CFR 2006.13, except
business confidential information exempt from public inspection in
accordance with 15 CFR 2006.15. Submissions may be viewed on the
www.regulations.gov Web site by entering docket number USTR-2013-0038
in the search field on the home page.
Stanford K. McCoy,
Assistant USTR for Intellectual Property and Innovation.
[FR Doc. 2013-27984 Filed 11-21-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F4-P