Belarus, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan are among 29 countries on the Office of the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) “watch list” of nations where pirated and counterfeit goods were readily available.

In its 2011 “Special 301” report, the Washington, DC-based USTR noted that ineffective enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in the mentioned countries continued to be a concern for the agency.

Also on the USTR watch list of states considered to be havens of fake clothing, shoes, watches, handbags, among other items, were Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Romania, Spain, Turkey and Vietnam.

On the other hand, those on the USTR “priority watch list” were China, Russia, Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and Venezuela.

The USTR is the agency responsible for developing and coordinating American international trade, commodities and direct investment policies.

Its Special 301 report is an “annual review of the global state of IPR protection and enforcement, which the USTR conducts pursuant to Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1994.”