China Chucks Pirated Works

 April 17. 2007 

The Chinese government affirmed their commitment to stopping piracy by rounding up and destroying bootlegged and copyright infringing works. This was very commendable. 

Now if only the DOJ and FBI would follow their lead and actually start bringing copyright infringers in Hollywood to justice...  

To demand China stop engaging in copyright infringement when many Hollywood films and CDs are made from regularly stolen copyrighted scripts and songs, is hypocritical. 

HUNDREDS OF HOLLYWOOD PROJECTS LIKE the Da Vinci Code, The Matrix, The Island, Nemo, Pirates of the Caribbean, Signs, Syriana, Princess Diaries 2, American Dreamz, Blond Ambition, Material Girls and Coming to America – are or were all subjects of credible copyright infringement lawsuits.    

It is a common, dirty practice in Hollywood for an unconscionable, greedy star or executive, to fish out the mail, copyrighted songs and films from writers across the country and around the world, sent to their offices as submissions for consideration, which they turn around and illegally use and take full writer’s credit for, in open, blatant violation of the law. 

Or the more foul method now surfacing: abusing technology by hiring commissioned hackers, to hack computer systems of prolific writers, illegally copy the copyrights present on their computers and then criminally reregister their copyrights years after in the lawbreaking star and or company’s name. They stupidly do this like there is no liability or proof of criminal misconduct and conspiracy to commit fraud, when everything done over the internet, from illegal computer intrusions to everyday emails, leave a distinct trail. 

The entire global community, every country, needs to do honor international law and do their part to stop piracy and copyright infringement, in an impartial, thorough manner.

 Copyright infringement comes in many forms. Celebrity thieves and major studios are one of them…and ironically, one of the most notorious. 

It’s one thing when you have a man bootlegging and selling pirated items on the street or online. You know what you’re dealing with and he will only make so much money. 

But when you have some low life pop star, producer, director or executive, criminally stealing intellectual property, then going around the world lying to the masses that they wrote it, accepting awards and multi-million dollar publishing and royalty checks off of   something they unethically, illegally and pathetically stole via willful acts of fraud and copyright infringement, which are crimes, that’s a whole other level of illegal activity and pathetic-ness.    

Pirated materials destroyed across China 

Beijing, April 14 (Xinhua) Workers of the Communist Party of China (CPC) set fire to 1.06 million pirated audio/video products, alongside other illegal publications in the suburbs of Lanzhou, the provincial capital, Saturday. 

The torching of the contraband was part of a nationwide action Saturday following an order given by Li Xiaojie, chief of publicity department of Gansu Provincial Committee of the CPC to culminate China's spring campaign designed to clean up pornography and crack down on illegal publications in the country.

 Altogether 42 million pieces of audio/video discs, and illegal publications were destroyed in the country's 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities Saturday morning, according to Long Xinmin, chief of the State Press and Publication Administration. 

'Through the act of destruction, we wish to show to the world the firm determination of the Chinese government in protecting intellectual property and being firm against any infringement of intellectual property rights and piracy, and to improve the awareness of the general public in fighting against pornography and illegal publications,' said Long at a special function organised here to mark the start of the action. 

Long also serves as chief of China National Copyright Administration. 

Jiang Zengwei, vice minister of commerce and also head of the state working group for intellectual property protection, said China had been making persistent efforts to protect IPR to meet the needs for its own development rather than from pressure from abroad. 

Out of the massive number of illegal publications destroyed Saturday, smuggled and pirated audio/video, software, electronic publications made up 30 million, and pirated and illegally published books and magazines totalled 11 million. 

One quarter of the illegal publications destroyed took place in Guangdong province, one of the country's economic powerhouses. 

Law enforcement officers used shredding machines or mullers to destroy 10 million pirated discs and 500,000 copies of illegal publications at a ceremony held at the new gym situated in Baiyuan District of Guangzhou, the provincial capital. 

Officials of the leading group for cleaning up pornography and fighting illegal publications of Guangdong province disclosed that they confiscated 18.76 million pieces of illegal publications and detained 26 people since the last quarter of 2006. 

Law enforcement officers also destroyed 1.03 million more items of pirated audio/video discs, and illegal publications in Tianjin, Liaoning and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the same day. 

In the first three months of 2007, China seized 36.11 million items of illegal publications, according to information given by the National Office for Cleaning Up Pornography and Fighting Illegal Publications. 

During the same period, the law enforcement officers shut down 8,385 shops and business outlets, and closed 220 publishing and printing ventures that had violated IPR regulations, and 58 illegal websites. 

Altogether 53 criminal cases were investigated during the spring campaign to crack down on IPR piracy or infringement across the country, and 91 people were given criminal punishments accordingly, said the national office. 

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