China's IPR protection needs world's cooperation, instead of blame: official

Infringement on intellectual property rights (IPR) is not a single case occurred in a single country, but a issue the whole world is faced with, and the international community has to seek a solution through consultation and cooperation based on mutual understanding and assistance rather than complaints, a Chinese official said Tuesday in Beijing.

"China's determination, attitude and position on IPR protection is clear and consistent," said Zhang Zhigang, director of the State Office of Intellectual Property Protection said at a press conference, "Under such circumstances, to accuse China of misconduct or lack of protection of IPR is unreasonable."

When answering a question raised by a US reporter that why Chinese ancestors could innovate so many things benefiting the whole world, while in recent decades some Chinese started to copy and fake other's creations, Zhang said that Chinese people has been brilliant in innovation since the remote past, and "don't exclude China when talking about countries suffering from IPR violations."

"IPR infringement is a crime, it is not a problem only occurred in China," Zhang said.

"With a population of 1.3 billion, China still stays at a low level in terms of economy, culture and technology. But we have set quite a tough goal in IPR protection. We have been trying not only to finish the legislation process for IPR protection in two decades, which Western countries spent more than a hundred years, but also to evoke the public's protection awareness."

"In the fight against piracy, we will never retreat," he said.

China has handled 24,189 trademark infringement cases and seized more than 167 million pieces of illegal audio-video products and pirated products since it launched a massive crackdown on IPR violations last September.

In addition, China has destroyed 24 illegal CD production lines and closed down 2,960 illegal printing workshops.

"A magnificent momentum and a sound situation have shown up" in China's IPR protection, said Zhang.

Source: Xinhua