India, May 1 -- The United States has placed India on its 2026 priority watch list for intellectual property rights. The designation, outlined in a report by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Thursday, flags persistent concerns over IP protection and enforcement.

"India remains one of the world's most challenging major economies with respect to the protection and enforcement of IP," the report said.

The annual report reviews how effectively US trading partners safeguard IP rights such as patents, copyrights and trademarks. This year, six countries, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Venezuela, were placed on the list.

The US said India has made some progress on intellectual property (IP) protection, but several i...