Intellectual Property Piracy: Perceptions and Realities in China, the United States, and Other Regions

There is a widespread misconception in the United States that whenever intellectual property piracy is mentioned, the finger is immediately pointed at developing countries, especially East Asian countries, or simply China. This erroneous perception mostly comes from the mouths of mainstream media and elected legislators who are loudly calling for action against China, but such rhetoric spreads at all levels. Recently, my publisher sent me a proposed cover for a book on intellectual property law that left a bad taste in my mouth. The cover showed a card table piled high with DVDs and VCDs, presumably intended for sale. These DVDs were labeled in Chinese, revealing them to be new Hollywood films.