Bush Administration Puts 12 Countries on Piracy Notice

Twelve nations have been put on a list by the Bush administration to be more closely monitored for piracy violations as part of a broader crackdown by the US Government on the problem. Among the countries on the list are the more commonly recognized problem areas like Russia and China, as well as Argentina, Chile, Egypt, India, Israel, Lebanon, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela.

US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said that Thailand was added to the list due to worsening conditions surrounding copyright protection, while noting Brazil had been moved from the "priority" to the "watch" list amid improving conditions. Others, including Bahamas, Bulgaria, Croatia, the EU, and Latvia were removed from the list altogether.