Robert Amsterdam

UPI today reported that China and Russia head a list of 12 U.S. trading partners on a priority watch list of violators of intellectual property rights.

"Innovation is the lifeblood of a dynamic economy here in the United States, and around the world," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said in a statement. "We must defend ideas, inventions and creativity from rip-off artists and thieves."

The annual "Special 301" report, which includes the Priority Watch List, outlines the suitability and efficacy of intellectual property rights protection among U.S. trading partners, Variety said Tuesday.

In Russia "(large-scale) production and distribution of IP-infringing optical media and minimally restrained Internet piracy are among the major problems that require more enforcement action," Schwab said.