IFPI releases a statement on the European Commission’s calls to strengthen intellectual property protection and enforcement in “priority countries” China, India, and Turkey.
The European Commission has published the 2023 edition of its EU Priority Countries Report to strengthen the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in countries outside the European Union. IFPI has released a statement on the publication of this year’s report.
The report identifies “priority countries” in which the state of IPR protection “gives rise to the greatest level of concern,” highlighting countries where deficiencies appear to cause the most significant economic harm to EU interests. The goal of the report is to focus the efforts and resources of the European Commission on improving the environment for IPR worldwide.
IFPI and its National Group Network have over 8,000 members across 70 countries. IFPI’s mission is to promote the value of recorded music while campaigning for the rights of record producers and expanding the commercial uses of recorded music in all markets worldwide.
This year’s list recognizes concerns identified by IFPI in several countries — including Indonesia, South Korea, and India — while noting progress made in places like Nigeria in adopting the new Copyright Act.
“We welcome the latest update from the European Commission and are pleased to be able to support its ongoing work in this area,” says IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore. “Properly established and enforced intellectual property rights are fundamental to the sustainable success of a country’s music sector and the essential economic and cultural contribution it makes.”
“The US Government recently published its Special 301 Report, which examines the adequacy and effectiveness of US trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights,” Moore continues. “It similarly reflects IFPI’s perspectives and those of the European Commission, including around Brazil, China, India, and Thailand.”
“We hope that both reports will help to raise awareness of the deficiencies in IPR protection in these countries,” concludes Moore. “We continue to work alongside our member record companies around the world to improve the situation for the benefit of music communities around the world.”