RIAA, MPAA vs China: US Takes Pirating Complaints To The WTO

It seems that the RIAA and MPAA have at least one other group of people to worry about other than college students with Kazaa: China. China likes to pirate. From NPR:

On Monday, the dispute got even hotter as the United States formally sued China in world trade court.

American companies, industry groups, the White House and Congress are united on the issue, says Robert Merges, who teaches intellectual property law at the University of California-Berkeley. The unity, he said, stems from a desire to stop Chinese piracy. And they want China to stop making it difficult for American companies to sell legal versions of their movies and music.

But it’s hard for China’s central government to convince mayors and police chiefs in towns and cities that they need to shut down shops owned by a resident, or a factory producing pirated movies that employs 100 local people.

—MEGHANN MARCO

U.S. Takes Chinese Trade Complaints to WTO [NPR]
(Photo: amyadoyzie)

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