A Window Of Opportunity for IP Enforcement in China

The Chinese government is in the midst of a six-month Intellectual Property Rights Campaign ("IPR Campaign") that could provide some much needed help to businesses struggling with intellectual property ("IP") infringement in China. The IPR Campaign aims to reduce IP violations related to all types of IP, including copyrights, trademarks and patents. Companies that are challenged by IP enforcement issues in the region should take note of this effort; the Chinese government announced in mid-December that Chinese police have uncovered close to 700 IP violations involving approximately $125 million and have arrested nearly 1,600 suspects since the IPR Campaign began. This is, obviously, a small step toward confronting a much larger problem in a booming economy, but it's an important step that signals the Chinese government's increasing resolve to address IP issues.