For Immediate Release

October 26, 2005

Contact: Judith Platt
Ph: 202-220-4551
Email: jplatt@publishers.org

Publishers Join in Supporting US Government Request for Copyright Enforcement Information from China

October 26, 2005 Washington, DC:  The Association of American Publishers (AAP) joined with other members of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) in expressing support for efforts by the U.S. Trade Representative and other trade enforcement agencies to obtain specific information from the government of the People’s Republic of China regarding copyright infringement cases.

USTR made the request pursuant to mechanisms provided by the World Trade Organization, seeking information on cases brought by Chinese authorities against infringers of U.S. and other WTO members’ copyrighted and trademark-protected products.  The information sought by USTR, previously unavailable to WTO member governments and private right holders, deals directly with civil, administrative and criminal cases that the Chinese government has brought against infringers of the United States and other WTO members copyright and trademark laws.  The request was made pursuant to the provisions of Article 63.3 of the TRIPS Agreement, which requires one WTO member to respond to a request from another WTO member with respect to laws, regulations or judicial or other infringement cases which “affects its rights under this Agreement.

AAP President and CEO Patricia Schroeder expressed the publishing industry’s support for the U.S. government action, noting “We estimate U.S. publishers’ losses in China in 2004 at more than $50 million,  including considerable on-campus piracy of academic materials.  We applaud the action by USTR in opening this dialogue with the Chinese government and believe that increasing the flow of information will facilitate the implementation of more effective enforcement measures against piracy.”

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s approximately 300 members include most of the major commercial book publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of intellectual freedom, and the promotion of reading and literacy are among the Association’s primary concerns.

AAP is a founding member of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA),  a coalition of seven trade associations representing more than 1,900 U.S.-based copyright companies.

###