NEW YORK, May 30 - The United States has opened an investigation into Ukraine for its failure to enforce intellectual property rights, such as curbing government use of pirated software, The Hill reported Thursday, citing a top U.S. trade regulator.

The launch of the investigation comes after the U.S. Trade Representative put Ukraine on the top of its annual watch list of countries that it says fail to crack down on online piracy and intellectual property violations. The list is part of an annual report, known as the Special 301, that USTR publishes to put a spotlight on websites and countries where it believes online piracy is rife.

“The United States has identified serious concerns with Ukraine’s treatment of intellectual property rights, as described in our Special 301 Report,” Acting U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro said in a statement. “We will consult with the Government of Ukraine on the practices that led us to initiate this investigation.”