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 stepped up action against pirated software. The U.S. commends the UAE for its commitment to copyright enforcement, and for the success of its enforcement efforts. The U.S. looks to the UAE to begin to improve its patent regime, and will conduct an out-of-cycle review by October to assess progress in the patent area.

The Venezuelan Government enacted, as a member of the Andean Pact, three Decisions on intellectual property which improve protection over previous decisions but still do not provide adequate and effective protection in all areas, particularly in the patent area. Also, despite enactment of a new copyright law in 1993, implementing regulations have not been passed, the National Copyright Bureau has not been created to ensure compliance with the law, enforcement is inadequate and piracy remains a serious problem. The U.S. will continue to monitor the law's implementation and enforcement of penalties against infringers, as well as recently initiated expedited proceedings for patent and trademark applications.

This year, the USTR wishes to draw attention to a number of countries where the lack of adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights is becoming a concern. These countries are Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Vietnam. The USTR expects that these countries will begin to take steps to address the shortcomings in their intellectual property regimes. The USTR will monitor developments in these countries and, in next year's Special 301 review, will assess the extent to which they have made progress in providing better protection for intellectual property.

In addition, the USTR wishes to note developments in the following countries.

has taken significant steps to halt the unauthorized production and export of sound recordings, to raise penalties for copyright violations, and to set up systems aimed at protecting copyright holders against infringement of their rights. The USTR commends the Government of Bulgaria for taking these actions, and expects this commitment to effective enforcement to continue.

has experienced a significant drop in copyright piracy following the implementation, in January 1994, of its new copyright law. The U.S. urges the Government of Cyprus to continue to act against piracy of software and of video and audio recordings. The U.S. welcomes the intention of the Government of Cyprus to secure passage, by July 1995, of a new patent law that would address the shortcomings in Cyprus' current patent regime.

Efforts by U.S. firms to combat high levels of computer