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[TheYenta]

"The United States has escalated the threat to take trade retaliation against Thailand and eight other countries for failure to protect American movies, music and computer software against piracy.

Thailand had hoped to be removed from the priority watch list by Washington, which instead recognised improvement in only four nations. Instead, the US Trade Representative on Friday moved complaints against Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey and Ukraine to the lower-level watch list but effectively increased the threat of eventual pressure and sanctions against Thailand.

The Bush administration put Thailand, China, Russia, Argentina, Chile, India, Israel, Pakistan and Venezuela on the elevated "priority watch list" as special targets for extra scrutiny and possible economic sanctions if Washington decides to pursue complaints before the World Trade Organisation. The administration named another 31 countries to a lower-level watch list, where Thailand was placed until two years ago, when US officials claimed intellectual property violations in Thailand had grown so bad they warrant the highest level of scrutiny.

In releasing the annual report, which is required by Congress, US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said copyright piracy is "one of the central challenges facing the global economy." "Pirates and counterfeiters don't just steal ideas, they steal jobs and too often they threaten our health and safety," she said in a statement.

This year's report devoted attention to what it described as the growing problem of counterfeited pharmaceuticals and other products that threaten the health and safety of consumers worldwide.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/tops...s.php?id=127312