US turns to WTO over China copyright row
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
THE United States asked the World Trade Organisation to mediate a copyright trade dispute with China, saying bilateral talks have failed to close loopholes that allow counterfeiters to flourish.
It marked the third time in less than a year that the US has sought a WTO dispute settlement panel to help resolve trade frictions with the leading emerging superpower, whose ballooning trade surplus has become a political flashpoint.
Washington filed a complaint with the WTO against China in April, alleging China's legal regime for protecting and enforcing copyright and trademark protection was unfairly deficient.
Chinese-made counterfeit goods from software and DVDs to luxury leather goods and watches are widely available in the US market.
Bilateral talks held in early June within the framework of the WTO dispute process proved fruitless, the office of the US Trade Representative said.
"The United States and China have tried, through formal consultations over the last three months, to resolve differences arising from US concerns about inadequate protection of intellectual property rights in China," USTR spokesman Sean Spicer said.
"That dialogue has not generated solutions to the issues we have raised, so we are asking the WTO to form a panel to settle this dispute."
The US request will be considered by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body at its next meeting, scheduled on August 31, the USTR said.
"In pursuing this action, the United States is seeking to eliminate significant structural deficiencies that give pirates and counterfeiters in China a safe harbor to avoid criminal liability," the trade office said.
Spicer said that China had taken "tangible steps" in recent years to protect intellectual property, but "we still see important gaps that need to be addressed".
There was no immediate official reaction from the Chinese government.
The US, joined by Canada and the European Union, requested a WTO panel in September last year to help settle a dispute over auto parts.
AFP
It marked the third time in less than a year that the US has sought a WTO dispute settlement panel to help resolve trade frictions with the leading emerging superpower, whose ballooning trade surplus has become a political flashpoint.
Washington filed a complaint with the WTO against China in April, alleging China's legal regime for protecting and enforcing copyright and trademark protection was unfairly deficient.
Chinese-made counterfeit goods from software and DVDs to luxury leather goods and watches are widely available in the US market.
Bilateral talks held in early June within the framework of the WTO dispute process proved fruitless, the office of the US Trade Representative said.
"The United States and China have tried, through formal consultations over the last three months, to resolve differences arising from US concerns about inadequate protection of intellectual property rights in China," USTR spokesman Sean Spicer said.
"That dialogue has not generated solutions to the issues we have raised, so we are asking the WTO to form a panel to settle this dispute."
The US request will be considered by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body at its next meeting, scheduled on August 31, the USTR said.
"In pursuing this action, the United States is seeking to eliminate significant structural deficiencies that give pirates and counterfeiters in China a safe harbor to avoid criminal liability," the trade office said.
Spicer said that China had taken "tangible steps" in recent years to protect intellectual property, but "we still see important gaps that need to be addressed".
There was no immediate official reaction from the Chinese government.
The US, joined by Canada and the European Union, requested a WTO panel in September last year to help settle a dispute over auto parts.
AFP
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