Masses of pirated products have been seized, sales of certified
products have risen and business owners are now much more aware of
IPR protection in China thanks to an intensive anti-piracy
campaign, a Chinese official announced in Beijing yesterday.
"The campaign has produced good results," said an official with
a national office responsible for cracking down on pornographic and
illegal publications.
The 100-day nationwide campaign, focusing on pirated audio and
video products and computer software, was launched on July 15 by
the office, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Public
Security and seven other departments of the central
authorities.
According to the official, 19.46 million illegal publications
were seized each month on average from July through September, more
than double the monthly average figure for the January-June
period.
He said many dealers checked their stock themselves and
voluntarily handed over pirated products. The statistics are not
complete but apparently about one million items were collected in
this way.
"Audio and video product dealers and computer software dealers
are much more aware of IPR protection now," said the official.
He said reports from audio and video product wholesalers in
Beijing and Guangzhou indicate that daily sales of certified
products have risen by around 20 percent since the campaign was
launched.
(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2006)