The Bush administration’s newly appointed top official in charge of fighting global piracy has made it clear he wants to see “tangible results” from China, said a report by AFX News Limited.
Chris Israel, coordinator of international intellectual property enforcement, was appointed by President Bush in July to coordinate the work of various agencies across the administration dealing with counterfeiting. He said he made China his first overseas trip because of the serious scale of violations there.
Israel told a news briefing that his office wants to see a “real increase” in the number of prosecutions from China and “meaningful deterrents” to violating intellectual property rights.
Monetary punishment for those caught pirating goods in China was currently “fairly insignificant,” making it an acceptable cost of doing business for counterfeiters, Israel said. Stronger enforcement of anti-piracy laws was also needed at the local level of governments, he added.
Israel met Chinese officials including a vice minister at China’s Ministry of Commerce during his visit.
