The Office of the United States Trade Representative published the Special 301 Report in April 2022, reviewing global developments on trade and intellectual property.
The most notable update this year is that Saudi Arabia was removed from the Priority Watch List following a number of favorable steps taken by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP). Lebanon was also removed from the Watch List, and based on this latest report, none of the countries evaluated for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are on the Priority Watch List and only two remain on the Watch List, namely Algeria and Egypt. This reflects the continued efforts of the countries in the region in developing and enforcing intellectual property laws, regulations and guidelines.
The Special 301 Report is prepared annually by the Office of the United States Trade Representative under Section 301 as amended of the Trade Act of 1974.