US Asks WTO Panel To Address Chinese Intellectual Property Rights Problems

By James A. Morrissey, Washington Correspondent

The US Trade Representative (USTR) has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to create a dispute settlement panel to challenge deficiencies in China’s enforcement of copyrights and patents for a wide range of products, including branded textiles and apparel.

In making the announcement, USTR Spokesman Sean Spicer 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. That dialog has not generated solutions to the issues we have raised, so we are asking the WTO to form a panel to settle this dispute.”

He added that the United States is seeking to eliminate “significant structural deficiencies that give pirates and counterfeiters in China a safe harbor to avoid criminal liability.” He noted that China has taken some steps to improve intellectual property rights protection and enforcement, but that gaps still remain. The USTR also said the United States is seeking to improve enforcement procedures at China’s borders and to give copyright owners more tools to prevent production of unauthorized copies in China.

The panel request will be considered by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body at its next meeting, scheduled for August 31.