Page:Special 301 Report 1995.pdf/19

   the Mexican Institute for Industrial Property (IMPI) and give this agency enhanced powers to implement and enforce Mexico's IPR laws. (October)

Poland extended the effects of its accession to the Berne convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works to Articles 1 to 21 and the Appendix. (October)

The Trademark Law Treaty, concluded under the auspices of WIPO, harmonizes and simplifies procedures for the registration and maintenance of trademarks. (October)

Thailand was downgraded from the special 301 "priority watch list" to the "watch list" upon passage of long-awaited copyright amendments that strengthened IPR protection and increased penalties for infringement. (November)

A U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) IPR enforcement training seminar was held in Saudi Arabia with private sector participants. (November)

The General Assembly of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) approved an "interim" IPR policy to replace a more problematic March 1993 policy that was never implemented. (November)

Argentina became a Member State of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). (December)

<li>Lithuania became a new member of the Berne Union for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. (December)</li>

<li>Vietnam passed a new copyright ordinance in December.</li>

<li>Taiwan implemented a trademark export monitoring system. (October)</li>

<li>Indonesia issued the final Ministerial Decree required to implement the 1992 Film Law which legalizes the import of laser discs, deregulates video distribution, and expedites the laser disc and videocassette censorship process. (October)</li>

<li>Italy enacted the EU rental rights directive. (November)</li> </ul>