IP Piracy: Does China Deserve the Bad Name?

The answer is more likely a “yes” than “no” for the average consumer exposed to the media’s persistent portrayal of China.

Assuming that you live in the West, you probably have heard the usually song and dance from the media—China is undergoing drastic changes, BUT its record on intellectual property is atrocious.

Now, Tim Johnson of the China Rises Blog (added to my blogroll) came out with a post, titled Is China unfairly bashed on piracy? In his post he urges a fresh look, posing the question: “Is it possible that the media have got it wrong?”

Then, he went on to cite a research report by a law professor out of Thomas Jefferson Law School:

That’s what a professor at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego says [The media might have got it wrong]. He’s written a 24-page report that essentially says China, taken as a whole, is not the leading global pirate. When figures are adjusted for population, China's rates of intellectual property violation are lower than those of many other countries, including the United States.

Read his entire post and the underlying report; maybe a new perspective will change the way you view China’s piracy sin.