A perplexing issue that is attracting a lot of attention is the issue of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). There has been considerable progress on this issue in recent years, but a great chasm separates China from the rest of the world. When we take a closer look at some of the measures taken recently, it gives hope that there is a potential solution to some of the major problems in the treatment of IPR.

Improving the protection of intellectual property rights is the top priority of the US government in its economic relationship with China. Every year, the US Embassy sponsors a roundtable on intellectual property rights attended by hundreds of US investors.

It should be noted that China is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Paris Convention on Industrial Property, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Madrid Convention on Trademarks, the Universal Convention on Copyright and the Geneva Convention. Phonogram Convention. As of June 9, 2007, China is in full compliance with the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. Its accession was expected in 2006, but China agreed on March 9, 2007.

Despite all the alliances and advances this decade, the US Trade Representative claims that China does not enforce intellectual property rights. Copyrights, inventions, trademarks, and trade secrets are routinely stolen. Intellectual hacking is one of China’s biggest obstacles to becoming a trusted member of the global economic community. The rules and penalties for IPR piracy remain light and very lenient.

Recent events indicate that China is accelerating its attention to IPRs. China increasingly recognizes that IPR protection is just as important to its own industry. The global press scrutiny surrounding the 2008 Olympics has added to the urgency for China to comply with international law.