IPR enforcement no better: survey

The enforcement of intellectual property rights in China has not improved, according to a membership survey carried out by the American Chamber of Commerce in China. Of the 214 US companies surveyed, 55% said enforcement levels remained the same while 7% believe they have deteriorated. The majority – 55% – said their business was being damaged by poor IPR protection and 41% said that counterfeit copies of goods they produced increased during 2005. "Though American businesses generally agree the awareness of IPR issues has increased, the problem is the penalty and punishment on IPR violations [is] not reverberant in China," said Charles Martin, president of AmCham China. He called on the US to improve visa processing for Chinese businesses lack of access to the US market is seen as being partly responsible for the IPR situation.