Evidence shows that the gang has sold more than 540,000 pirated DVDs and more than 100 types of computer software developed by 21 companies. The pirated merchandise buyers were mainly US companies and individuals, officials said. The case is one of 10 released by the administration yesterday in a week-long campaign to protect intellectual property.
In other cases, the People's Publishing House was ordered to compensate 80,000 yuan (US$11,429) to the Shanghai Literature and Art General Publishing House for illegally copying the cover design of ''Commentary on the Three Kingdoms,'' a book by Yi Zhongtian, a popular history scholar.
A local clothes retailer Zhong Xiaoying was ordered to pay 500,000 yuan in compensation for selling counterfeit Levi's jeans valued at 2.35 million yuan.
A local paint company was fined nearly 80,000 yuan for using the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem without permission.
Shanghai Customs seized 555 sartoriuses from Zhejiang Jinyun Xingyu Co Ltd infringing the Singer trademark last April.
Six members of a gang, including Wang Xun, were sentenced to between 16 months and six years in jail for forging the flu drug Tamiflu, which earned them 1.78 million yuan.
The Hero Website was fined 50,000 yuan for providing films and television works to some local networks.
The Shanghai Survey and Mapping Institute received 1 million yuan in compensation in the country's first copyright dispute over an electronic map.
Zhao Dehao, who headed a 12-member gang, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for selling pirated audio-video products. More than 600,000 pirated audio-video products were seized.
Sohu.com was ordered to compensate 100,000 yuan to Fu Zhanbei for offering a download service of Fu's short messages on love without his permission.
(Shanghai Daily April 21, 2008)