August 5, 2009

This year, and for the first time, Canada was named to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's priority watch list effectively putting the country on par with China, India and Russia for trademark, patent and copyright infringement. But Canada is not the hotbed of movie piracy and counterfeiting that apparently faced California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on his visit north two years ago.

Though Trade Representative Ron Kirk has a case for including Canada in its top list of countries to watch, many say the surprise inclusion of Canada is unjustified. Others go further and criticize the report as an unreliable lobbyist document. Regardless of one's opinion on the Special 301 report, effective management of intellectual property rights in Canada should be an essential part of any company's global IP strategy.