On April 29, 2025, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its 2025 Special 301 Report as the result of an annual review on the adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property (IP) rights protection and enforcement by more than 100 U.S. trading partners.
Section I addresses developments, global trends, and issues in IP protection. The Report identifies a wide range of issues, including challenges with border, criminal, and online enforcement against counterfeits; high levels of online and broadcast piracy; policies on forced technology transfer (ranging from state-sponsored theft of trade secrets to transfer under pressure from state actors); and other systemic issues generally affecting access to foreign markets (particularly by pharmaceutical and medical device industries) as well as protection and enforcement of trade secrets and trademarks abroad. The Report also identified best practices performed by trading partners, including coordination among national government agencies and active participation of government officials for effective IP enforcement; specialized IP enforcement units and courts in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy; as well as IP awareness and educational campaigns to develop support for domestic IP initiatives.
Section II details country reports, including descriptions of country-specific issues of concern. Eight (8) countries were placed on the Priority Watch List, which presents the most significant concerns with respect to IP protection, enforcement, or market access for U.S. persons relying on IP rights. The priority list now includes Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Venezuela. Mexico was moved to the Priority Watch List due to unresolved IP issues related to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and China remained in the Priority Watch List due to ongoing concerns related to various long-standing issues, including China's implementation efforts on a number of its IP commitments under the United States-China Economic and Trade Agreement (Phase One Agreement). The Report also details concerns and developments in eighteen (18) countries that USTR placed on the Watch List. Vietnam and Brazil remained on the Watch List, but Turkmenistan was removed.
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