Edited 1 July 06
Foreign companies complain that when pirates are caught, fines are too little to deter copycats. Maybe they have a point. A native from Anhui was jailed for four years for printing and selling pirated Shanghai maps – 77,000. It made him 20,000 RMB. He was fined 10,000 RMB. If he would have done the same for a famous western brand or DVDs, he would have paid a fine and that’s it – never heard anybody went to jail in a comparable case – or I may be mistaken?
Shanghai Daily also reported two gangs that produced and sold counterfeit certificates and cigarettes received prison terms ranging from 5 months to 4 years. The cigarette gang – of course Chinese brands such as Chung Hwa and Panda – were also fined 765,000 RMB. No mention of foreign brands – not clear.
When a Korean trading company was caught in Shanghai with fake Louis Vuitton and other foreign brands – valued at 3 million RMB, 3,000 pieces, authorities would not say what punishment would be given if the firm was found guilty “but they believed it would be only an administrative punishment rather than a criminal charge” – according to Shanghai Daily.
Anybody can explain that?
Not to wonder foreign companies and foreign chambers of commerce are getting upset.
On a more positive note – we hope – the Beijing IPR Complaint Center was to start a hot line (12312) at the end of June. China is planning to build 50 IPR complaint service centers across the country by the end of this year, according to China Daily. Hopefully somebody will pick up the phone when called.