The American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR) welcomed the recent decision by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to remove the Dominican Republic from its Watch List in the 2024 Special 301 Report on the Protection and Enforcement of Intellectual Property.
According to the report, the USTR's decision recognizes the Dominican Republic's intensified efforts to combat signal piracy, enhance interagency cooperation, and effectively allocate resources to address intellectual property infringement. The report highlights that the country has intensified its enforcement actions against counterfeit medicines and has demonstrated a commitment to increasing capacity through training and collaboration with the United States.
For his part, AMCHAMDR President Edwin De los Santos described the Dominican Republic's removal from this list as a positive and significant step. De los Santos applauded the Dominican government's efforts to address concerns regarding intellectual property enforcement and transparency.
"This removal from the USTR Watch List underscores the substantial progress our country has made in strengthening intellectual property rights. By strengthening our intellectual property rights protection mechanisms, the Dominican Republic strengthens its position as a more reliable country for attracting foreign investment, especially for those related to the development of high value-added technologies through intellectual property rights, which encourage us to take advantage of initiatives to relocate global production to increase trade with our main partner, the United States."
According to the USTR report, the Dominican Republic has made enforcement statistics publicly available, increased the number of specialized intellectual property prosecutors, and established fruitful collaborations with several U.S. agencies for training and technical assistance. This multifaceted approach underscores the nation's dedication to fostering a robust environment for intellectual property protection.
AMCHAMDR reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Dominican Republic's ongoing efforts to safeguard intellectual property rights.
