USTR releases 2026 “Special 301 Report” on IP rights
Vietnam is designated a “Priority Foreign Country,” and the EU is added to the Watch List.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today released its 2026 Special 301 Report, which reviews the global state of intellectual property (IP) protection and enforcement among U.S. trading partners.
Today’s USTR release explains that over 100 trading partners were reviewed, and Vietnam was identified as a “Priority Foreign Country” (PFC). This designation means USTR will decide within 30 days whether to initiate a Section 301 investigation into Vietnam's IP practices.
Other changes in this year's report include:
- Argentina and Mexico: Moved from the Priority Watch List to the Watch List following improvements in their IP policies
- EU: Added to the Watch List
- Bulgaria: Removed from the Watch List
In addition, six countries were placed on the Priority Watch List (Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, and Venezuela), while 19 trading partners were placed on the Watch List.