China Announces Piracy Crackdown

1 Dec, 2010 By: Chris Tribbey

China is in the midst of a nationwide crackdown on piracy, starting with software on local and central government computers, the nation’s news agency Xinhua reported Nov. 30.

The report said Chinese copyright inspectors would check to make sure software on all government computers was legitimate, and hope to conclude the sweep by May. Chinese officials said the move was part of a larger crackdown on intellectual property rights infringements, or IPR, and fake products, launched in October, the paper reported.

“Greater efforts will be made to establish a long-term mechanism comprising funding, procurement, utilization and asset management for ensuring the use of genuine software among government organs," said Yan Xiaohong, deputy head of China’s General Administration of Press and Publication and vice-director of the country’s National Copyright Administration, according to the report. “The fight against Internet-enabled IPR infringement, which remains a severe problem, is also a priority in the ongoing crackdown.”

The report said China has spent $119 million on legitimate computer software between 2007 and 2009.

In January, the World Trade Organization sided with the United States after the U.S. accused China of being too lax in policing the trafficking of pirated goods.