The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has acknowledged Ukraine’s ongoing engagement with the United States on intellectual property matters in its 2026 Special 301 Report, released on 30 April 2026.
The annual Special 301 Report evaluates the adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property protection and enforcement measures implemented by U.S. trading partners worldwide. According to the report, the review of Ukraine’s intellectual property policy status remains suspended due to the continuing impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Despite these circumstances, USTR noted that Ukraine continues to maintain constructive and substantive cooperation with the United States on several long-standing intellectual property issues.
Areas of cooperation highlighted in the report include:
- administration of collective management organizations responsible for collecting and distributing royalties to rights holders;
- efforts to address the use of unlicensed software by government institutions;
- implementation of effective measures to combat online copyright infringement.
The report also positively assessed Ukraine’s progress in tackling digital piracy. USTR specifically referred to Ukraine among a group of countries that have adopted legislative and enforcement mechanisms aimed at preventing unauthorized camcording, a practice commonly associated with copyright infringement in the entertainment sector.
In addition to its observations regarding Ukraine, the 2026 Special 301 Report introduced several changes to country classifications. Vietnam was designated as a Priority Foreign Country, while Argentina and Mexico were moved from the Priority Watch List to the Watch List following improvements in their intellectual property frameworks. The European Union was added to the Watch List, and Bulgaria was removed from that list.
The report reflects ongoing international attention to intellectual property enforcement and highlights Ukraine’s continued efforts to strengthen its IP system despite the challenges created by the ongoing armed conflict.