Representatives from content industries urged Congress to get tou...

anticipation of a U.S.-China Joint Commission on Trade meeting April 21-22. Among the witnesses were MPAA Exec. Vp Fritz Attaway, RIAA Senior Vp Joe Papovich and Entertainment Software Assn. Pres. Douglas Lowenstein. “Obviously, all of us would like to see increased attention to piracy and counterfeiting issues,” Stearns said. “Piracy of U.S. intellectual property in China may exceed $1 billion per year. This is a real problem for U.S. exports, and if remedied would help in balancing the U.S.-China trade deficit.” Papovich said, “Internet piracy is growing in China,” with certain websites fueling CD copying. China “must criminally prosecute major pirates, producers, traders, distributors and Internet pirates,” he said, adding today “China does not, in part because they choose not to, and in part because their law authorizes criminal prosecutions for copyright piracy only if” the revenue or profits exceed certain thresholds. Rep. Otter (R-Ida.) said Internet piracy in the U.S. contributes to the problem. “In minutes, a child in the United States can purchase a CD or a DVD and upload it on a file-sharing Internet service,” he said: “Shortly after, someone in China can download a perfect copy of that CD or that DVD, package it and illegally sell it in an open street market with little or no concern about any repercussions.” Lowenstein showed a photo of one of China’s 200,000 Internet cafes, which he said typically seat 100-300. “These cafes are the primary source of Internet access for millions of Chinese citizens, and if all of them purchased legal games that would really been a boon to the software market. But unfortunately, in most cases, the games they make available to their customers are pirate products.” He also said “China must criminalize the circumvention of technological protection measures like these mod chips I showed you and the trafficking in the circumvention devices, and they should quickly accede to the WIPO Internet Treaty.”