US International Trade Commission (USITC), a quasi-judicial independent agency, have launched on 29th August, 2013 an investigation to examine a wide range of Indian policies that discriminate against US trade and investment. The investigation, “Trade, Investment and Industrial Policies in India: Effects on US Economy” have been launched under section 332 (g) of the US Tariff Act, 1930 on the joint request by the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Countries are designated as ‘ priority foreign country’ or ‘priority watch list country’ under the ‘Special 301 Report’ which is the result of an annual review of the state of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement in U.S. trading partners around world, which the Office of the United States Trade Representative (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 (19 U.S.C. § 2242).

The information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

Section 332(g) trade investigation into discriminatory foreign policies initiated; linked to Special 301 intellectual property review and priority designations. A statutory trade investigation was initiated to examine Indian policies alleged to discriminate against U.S. trade and investment under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 following a joint congressional request; the inquiry is a fact finding mechanism to assess policy effects on the U.S. economy. The note also identifies the Special 301 IPR review process that designates countries as priority foreign country or priority watch list country under the U.S. annual intellectual property review.