From Los Angeles Times (link):
Customers from across the world come to buy bootlegs of famous brands. Rolex, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Mont Blanc. You name it, they’re all here. The five-acre bazaar is often the first stop on a Shanghai tour group’s itinerary. But after six years of booming business, in open view of authorities, Xiangyang Market will be closing at the end of June. Shanghai officials recently announced its shutdown, trumpeting it as a big strike in their campaign against piracy.
Chinese officials are eager to show that they are serious about reducing piracy, especially with President Hu Jintao preparing to visit the United States next week. Beijing recently said it would require computer manufacturers to ship their products with legitimate copies of operating-system software. Analysts also expect China to take tougher action against factories that pirate American movies.
Few believed piracy was the reason for the shuttering of Xiangyang Market. In fact, the announcement came after the city cut a lucrative deal with a Hong Kong developer who has plans to build apartments and offices on the site.
Also see “How To Solve China’s Piracy Problem,” a blog by Henry Blodget; and “How the biting reality of piracy in China is working to strengthen its copyright laws” by Duke Law and Technology Review
