US to file suit over 'rampant' piracy in China
May 06, 2007
DISNEYLAND is too far, reads the China theme park's slogan.
Their solution was to build a counterfeit Disneyland from scratch -
complete with Cinderella's Castle, and everything else you see at
Disney theme park's all over the world.
In this Beijing attraction, Shijingshan Amusement Park, you'll be
able to find actors dressed in Mickey, Donald, Snow White and many
other copyrighted characters.
And none of this is authorised by Disney.
This state-owned 'Magic Kingdom' has got the US fuming.
It announced that it would file a case at the World Trade
Organisation over 'rampant' copyright piracy in China, a practice
which US companies say deprives them of billions of dollars each
year.
'WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?'
But 31-year-old housewife Zhang Li betrays a typical Chinese
attitude on the issue while chasing her young son around the
park.
'I don't understand why that is such a big problem. Shouldn't
others be able to use those characters besides (Disney)?' she
asks.
Her view is common in a country where lax societal and law
enforcement attitudes toward copyright protection has seen the
counterfeit goods industry become a key part of the national
economy.
A US Congressional panel says China's own data suggests such goods
account for 15 to 20 percent of goods made in the country.
Such numbers seem hard to dispute in Beijing, where one can spend a
morning at an imitation Disney amusement park, have lunch at a KFC
knock-off, shop for fake foreign-brand fashions in the afternoon
and relax at night with a DVD of a Hollywood film that is still in
the theatres in the US.
'Its part of living in China,' said Canadian businessman Brian
Dugood while he was looking at fake Armani jackets at the Yashow
Clothing Market.
'Why buy the original when you can get a pretty good copy at
one-tenth the price?'
The US case could result in retaliatory trade measures on China but
those may be easier to overcome than the task China faces in
changing attitudes in a country where most consumers have little
hope of affording legitimate DVDs.
Mr Lei Danni, who runs a small shop selling fake DVD and compact
discs, brushes off accusations by US companies that his business
hurts sales of legitimately-produced software.
'We aren't stealing from anyone. Most of my customers say they
wouldn't buy the real thing anyway because its too expensive. So
there is no connection.'