American Publishers Cite 48 Countries for Tolerating Piracy

The Association of American Publishers cited 48 countries for tolerating copyright violators, most notably China.

“In light of the Chinese government's efforts to minimize the effects of China's significant piracy problem, it is truly unfortunate that the government has chosen to ignore this blatant infringement, which is being facilitated by government-run institutions,” said AAP President and CEO Pat Schroeder in a report submitted to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

“Companies such as Kangjian Shixun that are profiting from blatant infringement must be held to account and China should take effective steps to stop libraries from engaging with such illegal enterprises. The threat of Internet piracy in China is growing daily and a country that expects to be a leader in the digital world cannot afford to let it continue."

The AAP is also recommending that 12 others be put on the “Priority Watch List,” including – surprisingly – Canada, as well as Egypt, India, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, and Thailand.

Among the other counties mentioned in the report, which was compiled by a half-dozen other copyright related trade organizations, are Spain, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and South Korea.

“Piracy around the world impedes economic growth by diminishing the incentives to create and distribute content, and undercutting the companies who produce these products,” wrote Schroeder. “And as access to online and mobile technologies increases, the threat of digital piracy looms ever larger as a real threat for the book and journal industry, both now and in the future. It is therefore essential that the gaps in intellectual property protection underscored in this report be closed.”

The full report is online at www.iipa.com