U.S. chamber wants USTR to initiate WTO consultation on Chinese piracy

U.S. chamber wants USTR to initiate WTO consultation on Chinese piracy

   The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has asked the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to enter consultations with the World Trade Organization regarding on-going counterfeiting and intellectual property rights violations in China.

   In addition, the chamber has asked the Bush administration to list China as a “priority watch country” for piracy violations.

   “China has failed to adequately enforce its own laws and regulations when it comes to piracy and counterfeiting violations,” said Mryon Brilliant, chamber vice president for East Asia, in a Feb. 10 statement.

   “This is an endemic problem with immense consequence for the U.S. economy, our companies, particularly small and medium-size businesses, and public safety,” he added.

   The Chinese government has made some recent efforts to put the brakes on product counterfeiters, but the chamber said there’s little evidence that these measures have made significant impact.

   “China must move beyond words to actions that crack down on intellectual property rights infringements in accordance with its WTO commitments,” Brilliant said.

   For more information, access the chamber’s report on line at http://www.uschamber.com/goto/ocr_china.