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China to introduce new copyright laws
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-03-09 14:52
China is to introduce a raft of new laws and regulations this year to help
stem rampant violations of intellectual property rights (IPR).
As part
of the "2006 China IPR protection action plan", China will draft and revise 17
laws and regulations concerning trademarks, copyrights, patents and customs,
said a statement on the Ministry of Commerce's website.
The plan, formulated by the National Protection of IPR Working Group along
with other government departments, is aimed at "intensifying efforts to protect
IPR" and "to crackdown on various illegal rights violations," it said.
It also included a series of measures to step up public awareness and
international cooperation, the statement said.
China's Foreign Minister, Li Zhaoxing, said Tuesday that the Chinese
government last year handled more than 39,000 trade mark infringement cases and
Chinese courts handled over 3,500 IPR-related cases.
However China has made repeated pledges to crack down on IPR violations that its major trading partners such
as the United States and Europe say do not go nearly
far enough.
The United States last year put China on an IPR "priority watch list" after
an investigation concluded that "infringement levels remain unacceptably high
throughout China".
The move could lead to legal action at the World Trade Organization.
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