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  The Italian Court of Cassation reaffirmed that illegal photocopying of books for profit is a penal offense, thus clarifying that Law 159 adds an administrative sanction to the penal offense but does not supplant it. (February)

On February 26, the U.S. and China reached an agreement on intellectual property rights providing improved enforcement and enhanced market access for IPR-related industries. As a result of the agreement Ambassador Kantor rescinded an order to impose $1.08 billion of trade sanctions against China. (February)

Bahrain adhered to the Berne Convention, the Paris Convention and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). (February)

Hungary acceded to the International Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations (Rome Convention). (February)

Singapore became a Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. Singapore also acceded to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure. Singapore also brought into effect new patent legislation. (February)

Uganda became a Contracting State of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. (February)

A G-7 Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Summit was held in Brussels to begin collaboration on the basis of eight core principles, one of which includes a recognition that the protection of intellectual property rights is essential to the development of the GII. (February)

<li>The first meeting of the WTO TRIPs Council was held in Geneva. (March)</li>

<li>Italian police forces conducted separate large-scale raids against video and software pirates in Milan, Naples, Rome and Genoa. (March)</li>

<li>The Russian Federation acceded to the Berne Convention and to the Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized Duplication of Their Phonograms. (March)</li> </ul>