Washington — The Computer & Communications Industry Association has filed comments in response to the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) request for comments on the 2026 Special 301 Report, highlighting IP-related trade barriers facing U.S. exporters. CCIA also filed an intent to testify at the February 18 public hearing on the matter.
CCIA’s 2026 comments focus on the trade-distortive effects of ongoing link taxes and bargaining codes in Australia, Canada, Indonesia, and the EU, alongside streaming content quotas in Australia, Canada, and Brazil. A primary addition to CCIA’s submission this year is a dedicated section on restrictive AI regulations and licensing mandates in jurisdictions such as Brazil, India, and the EU, and their threats against innovation.
The following can be attributed to CCIA’s Vice President of Digital Trade, Jonathan McHale:
“Service suppliers, including IP-intensive exporters, face an increasingly hostile global landscape based on unwarranted market interventions by governments in many markets. Protectionist content quotas, news bargaining codes, and a troubling rise in restrictive AI regulations pose a substantial threat to American technological preeminence. The Special 301 Report is a critical mechanism to flag these barriers to ensure that foreign mandates do not suppress the productivity gains driven by U.S. digital services.”
