Linek,E . "International Efforts Are Achieving Credible IP Enforcement Even Amid Chronic Abuse" Intellectual property & technology law journal [1534-3618] 18.3 (2006). 4-7.

 

   This article is short and poses little insight into the situation of intellectual property rights in China, yet it does provide valuable statistics about the levels of piracy in China. The statistics present an optimistic view of the situation by stating the increased number of criminal prosecutions for IPR violations; however, the statistics leave out the pessimistic view that the number of violations are possibly rising and that could explain the increase in prosecutions.
    Yet, despite the lack of in-depth analysis provided, this article hints at some of the basic themes of more insightful works. Examples of these are that China has historical traditions that impede its compliance with international standards of intellectual copyright protection and that China has too many administrative bureaucracies to effectively enforce IPR. The article also presents an interesting view that unfortunately has no support: an assertion that because China has joined the WTO, its institutions will adapt in a positive manner.
    The statistics in this article include the numbers of criminal prosecutions in China for IPR infringement and estimates of the amount of money lost by US businesses because of piracy. Also, there is a comparison over time of changes in these statistics. These numbers, although vague, can be used to present a case with nearly any goal in mind and, therefore, are valuable in research about IPR in China.
    The last important aspect of this article is that it places China in the context of the larger developing world. It points out that China represents the single largest market (in numbers of people) in the world, and because it is considered to have a developing economy, China plays a large role in determining the stance of other developing economies. This is an important message and illuminates the significance of understanding the IPR situation in China and, therefore, the significance of China taking a gradual approach to strengthening its IPRs in a broader, global sense.