Intellectual Property Rights in the People's Republic of China

Abstract

In modern times, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is well known for intellectual piracy and cheap knock-offs. From shoddy recordings of movies, to knock-off copies, illicit goods from China flooded markets around the world. However, as time progressed, the quality of these products grew in sophistication and increasingly posed a challenged to foreign businesses. Not only were the Chinese able to successfully replicate advanced models of the latest technology, they sometimes outright stole the patents and designs. To the fury of these businesses, legal actions against these entities often failed in China, prompting cries and accusations against the Chinese leadership for facilitating the thefts. To protect their Intellectual Property (IP) from being stolen in Chinese manufacturing centers in the first place, many businesses have turned to manufacturing key components outside of China and making sure no Chinese employees know the full extent in the manufacturing process.1 This paper explores the topic of Chinese Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and piracy in the People’s Republic of China.