US targets Israel, China, Russia, six other nations on copyright issues

The Bush administration is accusing Israel, China, Russia and six other nations of failing to adequately protect American producers of movies, computer software and other copyrighted material from widespread piracy. The administration on Friday placed the nine countries on a "priority watch list" which will subject them to extra scrutiny and could eventually lead to economic sanctions if the administration decides to pursue complaints before the World Trade Organization. In addition to Israel, China and Russia, the other seven countries targeted were Argentina, Chile, India, Pakistan, Thailand and Venezuela.