The United States has placed India on its 2026 priority watch list for intellectual property rights, citing persistent concerns over IP protection and enforcement.
According to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), India remains one of the world’s most challenging major economies with respect to the protection and enforcement of IP.
The annual report reviews how effectively US trading partners safeguard IP rights such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
India has made some progress on intellectual property (IP) protection, but several issues remain, including problems in the patent system, weak enforcement, and high import duties on IP-related products.
The US intends to continue to engage with India on IP matters, including through US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement negotiations and the TPF’s Intellectual Property Working Group.
Vietnam was named a Priority Foreign Country (PFC) for the first time in over a decade, while Argentina and Mexico were moved to the Watch List after improvements.
