Washington: Accusing India, China, Russia and six other nations of failing to protect American producers of pharmaceuticals, films, computer software and other copyrighted material from widespread piracy, the US has placed them on a "priority watch list".

The nine on the watch list will be "the subject of particularly intense engagement through bilateral discussion during the coming year," US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said Friday in a Congressionally mandated annual report.

Copyright piracy is "one of the central challenges facing the global economy," she said. "Pirates and counterfeiters don't just steal ideas, they steal jobs and too often they threaten our health and safety."

Besides India, China and Russia, the other seven countries targeted for extra scrutiny were Argentina, Chile, Israel, Pakistan, Thailand and Venezuela. This could eventually lead to economic sanctions - if the administration decides to pursue complaints before the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In addition, 36 countries were placed on the lower level "watch list", meriting bilateral attention to address Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) problems.

Schwab said the report provides a basis for constructive engagement with US trading partners in order to address these challenges, particularly in key countries such as China and Russia. The US also had "significant concerns" with the other seven, including India, where it "remains concerned about inadequate IPR protection and enforcement".