India's personal data protection bill may threaten innovation, growth: USTR

The USTR said patent issues continue to be of concern in India

The US on Thursday raised concerns over India’s Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill and draft non-personal data governance framework, claiming these could potentially threaten innovation and economic growth.

In its latest ‘Special 301’ Report, the US Trade Representative (USTR) kept India on the priority watch list, maintaining the country remains one of the world’s most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP).

“In December 2021, a joint parliamentary committee released a report recommending changes to the PDP Bill, 2019, that could undermine important IP protections in India. Among these recommendations was the enlargement of the Bill’s