Reuters reports on a new ruling by the Supreme People’s court that makes clearer the phrase “unfair business” practices:
[Legal analysts] said the judicial interpretation, which went into effect on Thursday, would add teeth to China’s Law Against Unfair Competition because it will be easier for courts to hear cases now that the definitions of particular infringements are clearer.
It was the first time the court had issued an accompanying interpretation for the law, which was enacted in 1993.
“This is a very big movement for the court to finally make an interpretation on the Unfair Competition Law,” said Sophie Chen, a former associate judge in one of Beijing’s intermediate courts who now works in the Sydney office of law firm Minter Ellison. [Full Text]
The bulk of the (potential) benefit seems to lie with companies that produce name brand consumer goods.
The story follows reports from last week that the director of the new James Bond flick “Casino Royale” was upset upon finding pirated copies of the movie for sale on the streets of Beijing hours before its China premier. It’s not clear how, if at all, the new law will influence the country’s persistent disregard for music and film copyrights.
[Photo: The refurbished Silk Street Market, a famous source for fake name brand clothing in Beijing, has its grand (re)opening in March 2005. Photo by Antonis Shen]
