Uzbekistan removed from US trade watchlist
A story from The Steppe #5
The Office of the United States Trade Representative removed Uzbekistan from its watchlist due to the government’s efforts to bolster intellectual property protections.
On 25 April, Uzbekistan was removed from the United States Trade Representative Intellectual Property Blacklist. This was in recognition of the Uzbek government’s efforts to bolster intellectual property protections, including rule changes enabling customs officers to independently stop and seize counterfeit goods at the border.
A key reference case took place in May 2019, when the Uzbek anti-monopoly authorities ordered a local drinks producer to change their labelling, which they ruled to share too close a resemblance to that of Coca-Cola. This landmark ruling was a signal that Tashkent is serious about its pledge to promote the cause of protecting intellectual property. Uzbekistan had been on the monitoring list for 24 years and the country had a widespread problem with trademark violations and copyright infringement.