Page:Special 301 Report 1996.pdf/22

  Latvia became a member of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. 

SEPTEMBER

 Italy's Guardia di Finaza conducted its first raid on software counterfeiters in late September, seizing 25,000 copies of MICROSOFT's latest programs, 11 software duplicating machines and another 260 pieces of hardware. The confiscated goods are worth $3 million.

Bulgaria became a member of the Geneva Phonograms Convention.

Venezuela became a member of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office released its white paper on Intellectual Property and the National Information Infrastructure. 

OCTOBER

 <li>Spain adopted amendments to transpose into its law the EU directives on copyright duration and satellite broadcasting and cable retransmission on October 11.</li>

<li>Albania became a member of the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property, the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, and the Patent Cooperation Treaty.</li>

<li>Ukraine became a member of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and the Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants.</li>

<li>Lesotho became a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty.</li>

<li>Portugal became a member of the Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants.</li>

<li>Venezuela established a National Copyright Office which will register copyrighted material and provide arbitration services in copyright disputes.</li> </ul>

NOVEMBER