Uzbekistan remains on the Watch List in U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) Special 301 Report on Intellectual Property protection in 2022.  USTR’s report on Uzbekistan (p.81) is as follows: 

“Uzbekistan remains on the Watch List in 2022.  In recent years, Uzbekistan has taken important steps to address certain long-standing issues pertaining to intellectual property (IP) protection and enforcement.  In particular, accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty and WIPO Copyright Treaty, collectively known as the WIPO Internet Treaties, in 2019 represents progress toward improving the copyright regime in Uzbekistan.  The United States also recognizes the continued high-level political attention to IP, including Uzbekistan’s support for and participation in the Intellectual Property Working Group under the United States-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), the issuance of a January 2021 Presidential resolution on enhancing the IP system, and the establishment of regional IP Protection Centers.  However, these steps have fallen short in terms of delivering concrete benefits for innovators and creators, and several concerns raised in the 2021 Special 301 Report remain unaddressed.  The United States encourages Uzbekistan to continue improving its copyright statutory framework, including through providing adequate protection for foreign sound recordings and implementing the WIPO Internet Treaties.  Also, Uzbekistan needs to make progress to address other long-standing concerns, including by providing ex officio authority for border enforcement, allocating more resources to IP protection and enforcement agencies, and mandating government use of licensed software via presidential decree, law, or regulation”. 

In any foreign market companies should consider several general principles for effective protection of their intellectual property.  For background, link to our article on Protecting Intellectual Property and Stopfakes.gov for more resources or contact ITA’s Office of Intellectual Property Rights Director, Stevan Mitchell at Stevan.Mitchell@trade.gov. 

 The U.S. Department of Commerce has positioned IP attachés in key markets around the world.  The contact e-mail address of IP attaché covering Uzbekistan is dorian.mazurkevich@trade.gov. 

The State Department’s 2021 Investment Climate Statement for Uzbekistan includes information on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in Uzbekistan.