OMAN UP ON IPR

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000129 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, EB/TPP/MTA/IPC, NEA/MPI STATE PASS USTR FOR JBUNTIN USDOC FOR USPTO/DPOGODA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD KIPR EIND KMPI MU SUBJECT: OMAN UP ON IPR REF: MUSCAT 103 NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. SENSITIVE, PLEASE PROTECT. -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) On January 23, Yahya bin Issa al-Riyami, Oman's newly appointed FTA point-person on IPR issues, reiterated the Sultanate's long-standing interest in protecting intellectual property rights. He reported that an inter-ministerial committee has been effective in combating software and media piracy, and that the government would continue working in partnership with the private sector to enforce IPR. Al-Riyami anticipates a constructive dialogue with USTR to ensure that Oman's IPR regulations meet FTA obligations. End Summary. -------------- KEEN IPR INTEREST -------------- ¶2. (U) On January 23, Econoff discussed Oman's IPR enforcement efforts with Yahya bin Issa al-Riyami, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry's (MOCI) Director of Intellectual Property, and designated point-person on IPR issues related to the US-Oman Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Al-Riyami underscored Oman's keen interest in protecting intellectual property, dating from its first trademark law in ¶1989. With its WTO accession in 2000, al-Riyami noted that Oman particularly strengthened its IPR regulations in the areas of patents, copyrights, industrial designs, geographical indications, and integrated circuits. ¶3. (U) Trademarks receive the bulk of MOCI's attention. Of the approximately 38,000 trademarks filed with the MOCI, 36,000 have been completed. Al-Riyami remarked that U.S. companies generally use agents to both register their trademarks with the MOCI and file trademark-related complaints, though al-Riyami pointed out that such complaints arise infrequently. The MOCI, which mediates disputes through arbitration, processed approximately 15 cases in 2005. -------------- INVESTIGATIONS SUCCESSFUL -------------- ¶4. (U) Al-Riyami cited inter-ministerial coordination among the MOCI, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, and Royal Oman Police as key to enforcing Oman's IPR regulations. He said that joint action resulted in the confiscation and destruction of over 20,000 pirated CDs, video compact disks (VCDs),and other media in 2005. He also attributed coordinated action to the significant reduction of software and media piracy in the border town of Buraimi. Al-Riyami noted that more of the investigative burden will fall on the MOCI, however, as an October 2005 royal decree transferred additional responsibilities from the Ministry of Heritage and Culture to the MOCI's Consumer Department. ¶5. (SBU) While al-Riyami emphasized the government's continued commitment to working with the private sector, he expressed wariness over some of the information MOCI receives. He cited an instance where the MOCI used information provided by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to send cease and desist orders to alleged IPR violators, only to incur significant blowback from recipients who criticized the MOCI for making false accusations. Furthermore, al-Riyami took issue with the MPAA's criticism of Oman's IPR enforcement efforts in past conversations with Commerce Minister Maqbool bin Ali Sultan. -------------- DIALOGUE WITH USTR IMPORTANT -------------- ¶6. (U) Al-Riyami said he anticipated a constructive dialogue with USTR to ensure that Oman's IPR regulations meet FTA obligations, and welcomed further technical assistance. As reported reftel, al-Riyami, who has traveled to the U.S. for IPR-related training, stressed that additional training opportunities for Omani government officials in the area of investigative techniques would assist greatly in enforcement efforts. BALTIMORE