U.S. Commerce Secretary: China Must Strengthen Copyright Infringement Laws
14 Nov 2006
During a lecture in Beijing, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez called upon the Chinese government to implement changes that would create stronger legal mechanisms for enforcing the protection of intellectual property (IP) rights. The Secretary's comments implied that if such a request cannot be fulfilled, serious trade-related repercussions could arise between the United States and China.
Gutierrez insisted that the Chinese government must "amend laws" to make criminal prosecution for infringements of IP less challenging. Before his audience--a group of business executives from China and the United States--the Secretary claimed that an absence of strong, well-developed policies for the protection of IP has fostered an attitude of protectionism among American corporations that otherwise would be positioned to conduct a high volume of business with China.
The Secretary also called upon China to further open its markets to American enterprises. However, Zhao Shi, China's Deputy Director-General of the State Administrative Bureau of Radio, Film and Television, countered that access to markets--such as that of the Chinese entertainment industry--has improved, with an increase in the volume of foreign films entering China. Moreover, Secretary Gutierrez noted that China has made strides in its enforcement of IP protections, citing, for example, its collaboration with the United States to confiscate a false variant of the drug Tamiflu, which is used to treat avian influenza.
Source: Hutzler, C. Gutierrez urges China piracy crackdown. The Associated Press. November 14, 2006.
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