The Chinese government has launched what may be its biggest crackdown on intellectual property abuses yet, the Wall Street Journal reports:
The campaign, which began in October and is set to last six-months, includes several measures aimed at addressing a piracy problem that has been the subject of complaints from U.S., European and other foreign companies.
It also is seen as a move by Beijing to promote innovation by Chinese companies by ensuring their protection.
Among the initiatives is a plan to provide government offices funds to pay for licensed software. On Tuesday, Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei said the State Council, China’s cabinet, will launch inspections—to be completed by October 2011—to ensure that central and local government bureaus and businesses are using legitimate software.
The software-piracy rate overall remains high in China. According to estimates by the Business Software Alliance, an industry-advocacy group, and research firm IDC, 79% of all computer software installed last year in China was pirated, down from 86% in 2005.
