A total of 29 countries are in the list

The U.S. Trade Representative's office added Bulgaria and Belarus to an intellectual property rights watch list, Reuters reported.

USTR's 2023 Special 301 Report on U.S. trading partners intellectual property (IP) rights protections also continued last year's suspension of its review of Ukraine's IP practices, due to Russia's February 2022 invasion of its southern neighbor.

But the USTR's report added NATO ally Bulgaria to its watch list because Sofia did not sufficiently address deficiencies in its investigation of online piracy cases.

The report now lists 29 countries on its watch list or priority watch list for deficiencies and violations of IP rights. Seven countries are currently on this year's priority watch list: China, Chile, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Russia and Venezuela.

Редактор: Маргарита Стоянчева