International Law

Another Ridiculous IPR Protection Awareness Event

By Stan

Shanghaiist’s “Laugh of the Day” is news from the run-up to the Shanghai Expo:

Oh my: apparently China is very concerned over the illegal and improper use of licensed emblems for the Shanghai Expo. In fact, they’re so concerned about intellectual property theft that they decided to have a mini expo about it. And you can go too!

For the next week, the World Exposition intellectual property rights protection exhibition will be open to the public at the Expo Exposition (does this seem redundant?) Center at 300 Huaihai Zhong Lu. Gasp at the 61 different Expo emblems for the Shanghai 2010 World Expo! Recoil in shock as you feel the difference between real, licenced plush Haibao dolls and the fake ones ubiquitously sold across China!

Preaching to the choir, guys. More public awareness of IPR theft isn’t going to make a difference to rates of infringement. Keep your money and spend it on judicial training, more hires at AIC, SIPO, NCA and especially PSB.

This is quite silly. Not quite as stupid as when the Motion Picture Association put up a gigantic poster of Jackie Chan at the Silk Market that contained a rousing anti-piracy message, but it’s close.

I asked my law students on Monday how many years it had been since they had purchased a music CD. One of them remembered buying a CD as a birthday gift a number of years ago - that was it. These are law students and are already quite aware of the legalities.

I’m just plain tired of all these government officials and industry groups from all over the world using “public awareness campaigns” to make themselves look busy or useful. It’s a stupid waste of money that helps no one except for PR firms and advertising agencies.

At least if they spent the money on more enforcement, a portion of those funds could go to hard-working IP lawyers!

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Full post as published by China Hearsay on December 03, 2009 (boomark / email).