The government vowed yesterday to increase its efforts to combat
software piracy in a bid to ensure the development of the
industry.
"Infringement has been the main culprit in slowing down the
healthy development of the software industry," Wang Ziqiang,
director-general of copyright bureau under the National Copyright
Administration (NCA), said yesterday at a press conference in
Beijing.
He cited an American study that indicated that sales of
domestically developed software would increase by $3.79 billion if
the rate of software infringement in China was cut by just 10
percent.
Duan Guijian, director of the Copyright Protection Center of
China (CPCC), said most software companies in China had now
realized the need to apply for copyrights for their software.
Last year a record 25,666 applications were made, up 16 percent
on the previous year.
Beijing topped the list with the registration of 8,666
applications last year, accounting for 35 percent of the total, the
center said.
Duan said the center was working hard to shorten the copyright
application process, which had been the subject of regular
complaints.
"We have already shortened the process from 60 days to 30, but
15 days is now our goal," Wang said.
He said the government had strengthened its policies on
infringement not only for the benefit of domestic software
companies, but also to send a positive signal for further
international cooperation on copyright disputes.
The government has engaged in a number of cooperative campaigns
with international partners on copyright protection as part of
China's commitments to the World Trade Organization.
(China Daily January 9, 2008)
