For all concerned about copyright violations in China, the birth of the China Enterprise Copyright Alliance is something to celebrate.

Any move conducive to better intellectual property rights protection is worth celebrating.

But this one is special, thanks to its non-governmental nature.

For too long, copyright protection in this country has mainly been in the form of government law enforcement.

This is understandable because the government was the regular target of overseas complaints about IPR infringements. Year after year, our leaders have received guests who visit from afar just to make this case. It was not unusual for question-and-answer sessions to stray towards IPR from otherwise fruitful talks about trade and exchanges.

To be fair to our government, it has been responsive to outside concerns, some of which were less than fair.

You may have heard about the 100-day anti-piracy campaign that swept audio-video shops, bookstores and street vendors between July and October. The across-the-board crackdown involved 10 ministries, the intensity of which was extraordinary.

That was only one of many campaigns of its kind mounted by the government in recent years to eliminate piracy, which is increasingly felt as a thorn in its side.

There is every sign that the authorities are approaching the matter as a strategic must, instead of an expedient. You can see from the official statement that the pressure on IPR abuse stayed and remained as forceful after the 100-day offensive.

No matter how sincere and anxious the government is to put an end to rampant copyright infringements, we will not see substantial changes until such concerns are shared by society, enterprises in particular.

1

2

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)