Pirated intellect bedevils WTO

Lebanon first applied to join the World Trade Organization in 1999, but now, a decade later, the country’s accession is still not a done deal — a time lag far longer than with most other past or current applicants. At WTO meetings on Lebanon’s accession, an often raised issue is the state of intellectual property rights (IPR) in the country. Respect for IPR is a key condition of WTO accession. The United States Trade Representative (USTR) placed Lebanon on a “watch list” in 1999 and then downgraded Beirut to the critical “Priority Watch List” in 2001 where it remained until 2007. It then upgraded Lebanon back to the watch list in 2008, and in its 2009 annual review, the USTR maintained Lebanon on the watch list. Other Arab countries on the 2009 watch list include Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Though piracy-related losses incurred in Lebanon by copyright-based industries are