China to get tough with 'rampant' pirate goods
Source: Agencies/Shanghai Daily |
January 12, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA has arrested more than 4,000 people for violating intellectual property rights since November and will introduce tougher punishments to combat the "rampant" problem, a senior government official said yesterday.
Gao Feng, deputy director of the Ministry of Public Security's Economic Crimes Investigation Bureau, told a news conference that his agency had uncovered more than 2,000 cases since China launched a six-month campaign to beef up the enforcement of IPR last November.
The financial value of the cases totaled 2.3 billion yuan (US$348 million), Gao said, adding that the number of arrests, cases and financial value are a three-fold increase on the same period a year ago.
"On one hand, they demonstrate the achievements we've made in cracking down on the violation of IPR. On the other, it also indicates that IPR violation is still rampant," Gao said. "So we want to introduce heavier punishments."
When faced with such cases, "police departments must comprehensively and severely crack down on them," said Gao.
The crackdown includes keeping better tabs on counterfeit goods, including tracking items before they reach the market. There have also been problems with confiscated fake goods resurfacing on the market.
The announcement comes a week before President Hu Jintao visits the United States. Intellectual property rights could feature in trade talks between Hu and Barack Obama.
China has launched repeated crackdowns and increased penalties in the past, but foreign governments and trade groups say its enforcement has not been strict enough.
Washington has complained about prosecution thresholds in Chinese law that allow violators to escape punishment if they make less than 500 copies of an item. China has promised "concrete results" from the latest crackdown on counterfeit books, music, DVDs and software.
Gao Feng, deputy director of the Ministry of Public Security's Economic Crimes Investigation Bureau, told a news conference that his agency had uncovered more than 2,000 cases since China launched a six-month campaign to beef up the enforcement of IPR last November.
The financial value of the cases totaled 2.3 billion yuan (US$348 million), Gao said, adding that the number of arrests, cases and financial value are a three-fold increase on the same period a year ago.
"On one hand, they demonstrate the achievements we've made in cracking down on the violation of IPR. On the other, it also indicates that IPR violation is still rampant," Gao said. "So we want to introduce heavier punishments."
When faced with such cases, "police departments must comprehensively and severely crack down on them," said Gao.
The crackdown includes keeping better tabs on counterfeit goods, including tracking items before they reach the market. There have also been problems with confiscated fake goods resurfacing on the market.
The announcement comes a week before President Hu Jintao visits the United States. Intellectual property rights could feature in trade talks between Hu and Barack Obama.
China has launched repeated crackdowns and increased penalties in the past, but foreign governments and trade groups say its enforcement has not been strict enough.
Washington has complained about prosecution thresholds in Chinese law that allow violators to escape punishment if they make less than 500 copies of an item. China has promised "concrete results" from the latest crackdown on counterfeit books, music, DVDs and software.
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