Washington, April 29:

China and Russia are among the world’s worst offenders at abusing American companies’ intellectual property rights, the US government said in an annual report.

The ‘Special 301’ report released by US trade representative Rob Portman said that in total, 13 countries feature on the list of those most guilty of ripping off US goods.

In addition to China and Russia, the 11 other countries on this year’s list are Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela. “This report acknowledges the positive steps that several of our trading partners have taken to strengthen IPR protection over the past year,” Portman said, “However, more needs to be done. Our review reveals a continuing need for improvements, particularly with the implementation of effective protection and enforcement against piracy and counterfeiting.”

Not for the first time, the trade representative’s report placed a special emphasis on a long list of copycat thefts taking place in China.

The report stated that for the first time, it would scrutinise IPR protection and enforcement at the provincial level in China. China analysts here say that while some in the central government in Beijing are committed to stemming the tide of IPR abuses, the commitment is far weaker among regional governments, which enjoy closer ties to local industries.

Russia is also a “serious concern”, the report stated. Moscow has taken some steps to curb piracy.