Tom Allen, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers (AAP), has applauded the Chinese government's expressed intention to investigate complaints by academic journal publishers concerning online piracy of academic journals. He has also praised China's commitment to 'take prompt action at the conclusion of the investigations'. While the inspections of libraries promised at last year's Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meeting have reportedly been carried out, no enforcement actions appear to have been undertaken to date against infringements occurring in the library sector. The AAP is therefore reportedly pleased to learn that the Chinese government intends to take action at the end of its investigations.
Mr. Allen noted that AAP will continue to press for an end to intellectual property violations affecting its members' books and journals. It will also continue to work and strengthen relationships with the Chinese government and with the Chinese publishing industry to ensure that progress continues and that these commitments are translated into concrete actions.
The US-China JCCT was established in 1983 as a forum for high-level dialogue on bilateral trade issues and a vehicle for promoting commercial relations. At the end of the 21st session of the US-China JCCT in Washington, D.C., on December 15, 2010, China, specifically, agreed to significant initiatives in several areas. These include intellectual property rights enforcement, open and neutral technology standards, clean energy and government procurement. On indigenous innovation, China agreed not to discriminate in government procurement based on the origin of intellectual property or to use discriminatory criteria to select industrial equipment.
To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
