Learn mandarin - China, US hold consultations on IPR protection

BIZCHINA / Center

China, US hold consultations on IPR protection

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-06-10 09:35

China and the United States have held consultations in Geneva on issues
involving the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), the
Chinese Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Saturday.

The consultations were held from Thursday to Friday within the framework
of the WTO's dispute settlement system. The United States had earlier
complained to the WTO about copyright piracy in China.

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In the consultations, China reiterated that it had always attached great
importance to the protection of intellectual property rights.

Since its accession to the WTO, China has honored its WTO commitments and
undertaken international obligations on intellectual property rights
(IPR) and made great achievements on IPR legislation and enforcement
which are well recognized and highly valued by the entire world, the
Chinese delegation said.

China recalled that Article 1.1 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs Agreement) provides in its very
beginning that WTO members "shall be free to determine the appropriate
method of implementing the provisions of the TRIPs Agreement within their
own legal system and practice."

Immediately after its accession to the WTO, China devoted great efforts
to adjusting and modifying its IPR-related laws and regulations
comprehensively, hence effectively ensuring the consistency of its
legislation with the requirements of relevant WTO rules.

With regard to certain Chinese measures challenged by the United States
in this case, China said that it "firmly believes such measures are fully
consistent with the TRIPs Agreement and should bear no blame."

"China strongly opposes any attempt by any other WTO member to impose
additional obligations beyond the TRIPs Agreement through inappropriate
application of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, and believes that
the impact resulted therefrom would by no means be accepted by other
developing members," it said.

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