Russia finds its place on the International Property Rights Index.

In the new International Property Rights Index, Russia comes in 63rd place out of 70 of the world’s largest countries. According to experts in the field, significant improvement has to be made in all categories - in politics and law, in material property rights and in rights to intellectual property.

The Property Rights Alliance, a US organization, does routine research in seventy different countries on the extent to which property rights are guaranteed and then formulates an International Property Rights Index after weighing different aspects, such as the independence of the judiciary and the extent to which business has faith in the courts; political stability; corruption; legal protection of private property; ease of registration and re-registration of property; access to credit; and the protection afforded to intellectual property.

On the basis of these, a total is arrived at on a sliding scale between 10 and 0 points - 10 points representing the ideal maximum. The first three places went to Norway (8.3), the Netherlands (8.2) and Denmark (8.1), with Denmark tied with Switzerland, New Zealand, Great Britain, Germany and Australia. The top ten was rounded out by Switzerland (8) and Austria (8) in joint ninth place. Canada and USA took joint 15th place with 7.4.

Russia came in at the tail in joint 63rd place with only 3.2, alongside countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, Guatemala and Kenya. Ukraine, on the property-rights scale, is five places above Russia in 58th place.

The experts, rating Russia by the same ten-point scale, scored the quality of its politics and law at 1.9, its protection of material property at 4.2, and its protection of intellectual property at 3.7. Lowest scores were given to faith in the courts - 0; protection of copyright - 0.9; and independence of the judicial system - 2,1.

(Newsru.com, 07.03.2007)