New regulations to safeguard trademark logos and images of the
2008 Olympic Games will be issued soon, Zhao Gang, deputy director
of the trademark office of the State Administration for Industry
and Commerce (SAIC), said yesterday at a news conference.
At the briefing, organized by the State Council Information
Office, officials said that the new regulation is part of the
country's efforts to protect intellectual property rights (IPR),
including those associated with the Games next summer.
This is China's first regulatory effort specifically designed to
protect Olympic intellectual properties in accordance with
international practice.
Zhao said that with the new regulation, law enforcement offices
and administrative bodies will share a unified guideline and launch
campaigns to stop counterfeiting or pirating related to the
Olympics.
"It is incorrect to say that China is only serious in protecting
IPRs related to the Olympic Games," said Zhao, "Actually, we have
been very consistent and serious about IPR protection in all
areas."
He said China is determined to stop counterfeiting, a problem
that has triggered many complaints from countries such as the
United States and European nations.
On one hand, the country is trying to boost awareness by the
public and organizations about the issue. Last year, retail
marketplaces in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen were warned that no
vendors will be allowed to sell fake products of more than 40
famous international brands.
On the other hand, administrations for industry and commerce and
police have built cooperation mechanisms to speed up investigations
and enforcement processes.
Last year, the Chinese authorities investigated more than 50,000
counterfeiting incidents and confiscated or destroyed 30 million
pieces of such goods. In addition, customs found almost 200 million
pieces of goods infringing IPRs.
This year, rural marketplaces will become a priority in fighting
counterfeits, according to SAIC.
Zhao said online traders and e-commerce websites should not get
involved in sales of counterfeits, otherwise they risk punishments
given to those in real world marketplaces.
As traditional marketplaces build up pressure on vendors that
sell counterfeits, many shop owners have turned to websites such as
Taobao.com and eBay's website in China.
Yin Xintian, a spokesman with the State Intellectual Property
Office, said that with the technology like the Internet and mobile
phones, the battle against piracy and counterfeiting are more
difficult.
(China Daily April 18, 2007)