SPECIAL 301 INITIATIVE ACTION PLAN DELIVERED

UNCLAS RIYADH 001909

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

USTR FOR JENNIFER GROVES AND JASON BUNTIN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ETRD KIPR PGOV SA
SUBJECT: SPECIAL 301 INITIATIVE ACTION PLAN DELIVERED

REF: SECSTATE 107629


1. On September 15, EmbOffs met with Mohamad Al-Aiyash,
Chairman of the IPR Committee, to discuss the Special 301
Initiative. The Special 301 Initiative non-paper action plan
was delivered to the SAG on August 14th. Al-Aiyash reported
that upon receipt it was forwarded to the Ministry of Culture
and Information (MOCI) for study and comment. The Violations
Review Committee, responsible for copyright cases, is part of
MOCI. After MOCI provides its response to the action plan to
the inter-agency IPR Committee, it will meet to improve upon
MOCI's response and consider aspects of the plan for which
MOCI is not responsible. The IPR Committee will coordinate
its response with all involved agencies and then provide the
official response to Post.


3. Al-Aiyash reported that the SAG is in contact with the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) regarding the
WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and
Phonograms Treaty. He said that the SAG is considering
engaging a legal advisor to explain the content of the
treaties and what the SAG's responsibilities would be if it
were to ratify the treaties.


4. Al-Aiyash was not able to estimate when the official
response might be announced, but assured EmbOffs that the
ministries are "busy" considering the plan and that he had
recently discussed it with Sheikh Mohamad Abdullah Al-Ameen,
Chairman of the Board of Grievances. Al-Aiyash also reported
that a proposed meeting between Al-Ameen and the Ministers of
Commerce and Culture and Information to discuss IPR issues
generally and the Violations Review Committee in particular
has not yet occurred because of the summer holidays.
FRAKER