Intellectual property
Gilheney razors. N-Mart Super Center. Future Cola. Starsbuck. If these Chinese brands sound familiar, it is because their names echo some of the best-known US brands: Gillette, Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Wal-Mart.
Just as China has become a leading producer of everything from shirts to semiconductors, it has also become the world's most adept imitator of foreign brands and business concepts.
Local brands such as Future Cola, Gilheney razors and Starsbuck are operating in a grey area, where the distinction between legitimate me-too products and illegal copying remains unclear although some companies such as General Motors of the US have moved to seek clarification in Chinese courts.
America, the European Union and Japan have all criticised China's approach to intellectual property rights and Beijing has promised harsher penalties for counterfeiters. But just as legitimate businesses adapt to changing markets and regulations, China's copycats are becoming increasingly adept at eluding the authorities. And it is a lucrative enterprise for them: counterfeit products worth between $19bn and $24bn are produced a year, according to an estimate by the State Council's Development Research Centre, a government research body. As a result, foreign direct investors are increasingly wary of sharing their expertise with local partners. “They can copy anything,” says Horace Lam, a Beijing-based attorney at Lovells, the US law firm. “It takes them some time, but they are getting smarter and smarter.”
China's copycats use a combination of strategies to outwit the authorities, including employing several layers of middle-men, producing parts in separate factories, churning out products at night and shipping fakes in limited batches. Furthermore, says Mr Lam, “counterfeiters often benefit from the protection of local officials. They can add an extra level of security by establishing themselves offshore, like organised crime networks.”
Joseph Simone at US law firm Baker & McKenzie adds that enforcement measures such as fines, raids and seizures have not been much of a deterrent.
Boston Consulting Group, a management consultancy, says the “complex web” of government departments charged with enforcing anti-piracy laws has helped to undermine the drive against counterfeiting. While some departments have a relatively clear remit, others have potential conflicts of interest. Industry experts point to the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, whose regional offices provide business licences and also police trademark violations. Some bureaux are both understaffed and notoriously leaky.
Beijing insists it is seeking ways of tackling the problem. Last year, only a tiny fraction of the 10,000 or so intellectual property cases were brought under criminal law. But counterfeiters now face tougher criminal sanctions, including prison sentences. “The fact that the government has made such progress is remarkable,” says Li Mingde, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The lack of adequate legal training among many Chinese judges is a weakness. Nor are there sufficiently strong laws on trade secrets, making it harder to prevent the theft of patents, trademarks and copyrights, according to BCG.
Mr Li believes the problem partly reflects the evolving nature of China's economy and development policy. At this stage of its development which he compares to that of the US in the 1950s and 1960s China relies on labour rather than innovation, which creates a climate in which copycats can thrive.
Yet while they can see the threats to their business, many foreign companies have been slow to protect their technology against counterfeiting. “If you don't defend yourself, people will hijack your rights,” says Mr Lam. “When we look at the product portfolio of some foreign [businesses], we see the gaps. If you don't spend money now, you will spend it later.”
US industry and trade officials have been among the most vocal critics of China's policy on intellectual property, with complaints focusing on luxury goods, software, entertainment and industrial products.
US officials have made two demands: step up the raids on local manufacturers and put more offenders behind bars. Yet some industry experts believe US officials are getting little help from the companies they represent. “US and EU companies have been doing a pathetic job in providing quantifiable information to their respective governments,” says one China-based lawyer. “Companies should not be complaining if they are not providing data.”
Counterfeiting is a problem all over the world, not just in China. But in the US and Europe, customs departments estimate that China accounts for the bulk of counterfeit goods seized at their borders. Last year, US customs saw a 47 per cent rise in the total value of seized counterfeit goods from China.
Wu Yi, China's leading official dealing with intellectual property rights, has repeatedly told his US counterparts that results will take time. However, there are signs of increasing international co-operation. The dismantling last year of a DVD-exporting ring based in China would not have been possible without the Chinese police and the US Department of Homeland Security working together. This led to the seizure of some 210,000 DVDs and the destruction of several warehouses.
It will take years, though, for the central government to find ways of enforcing its attempts to crack the problem at local level. One answer would be for foreign companies to take legal action in China. The outcome would be uncertain, but it would give them some control over the process. If Starbucks wants to end any confusion with Starsbuck, it may have to act itself.
中国仿造品牌越仿越巧
Giheney剃须刀，普尔斯马特诺玛特购物中心(N-Mart Super Center)，未来可乐(Future Cola)，Starsbuck。如果说这一连串的中国品牌听起来很熟悉，这是因为它们的名字让人联想到许多赫赫有名的美国品牌，例如吉列(Gillette)，可口可乐(Coca-Cola)，星巴克(Starbucks)和沃尔玛(Wal-Mart)。
正当中国成为首屈一指的制造商，从衬衫到半导体，几乎无所不包，同时它也是全球最善于模仿外国品牌和商业理念的国家。
未来可乐、Gilheney剃须刀和Starsbuck等本地品牌的经营属于灰色地带。虽然包括美国通用汽车(General Motors)在内的一些公司已向中国法庭提起诉讼，要求澄清，但合法仿造产品和非法仿冒产品之间的分界线并不明朗。
美国、欧盟和日本均对中国在知识产权问题上的做法提出了批评，中国政府已承诺加大对假冒产品严惩的力度。但正如合法企业正在适应着不断变化的市场和法规，中国的仿冒者越来越善于躲避政府部门的追查。而且，这对于他们来说是一笔利润丰厚的生意。根据中国政府研究机构―国务院发展研究中心的估计，每年生产的仿冒产品价值在190亿美元至240亿美元之间。于是，外国直接投资者在与中国合伙人分享专门技术时越发谨慎。“他们可以仿造任何东西，” 常驻北京的美国路伟(Lovells)律师事务所的林俊杰(Horace Lam) 律师说，“他们用了一些时间，可越仿越巧妙。”
中国的仿冒者结合了几种策略与政府部门斗智，其中包括雇佣几层中间人，在不同的工厂生产零件，在晚间大批量制造产品，并限量船运仿冒产品。此外，林先生说，“仿冒者常常会从本地官员的保护中受益。通过定居海外，还可以增加额外的安全度，就像有组织的犯罪网络一样。”
来自美国贝克麦肯思律师事务所(Baker McKenzie)的谢西哲(Joseph Simone)补充说，罚款、突袭和没收的威慑力并不大。
管理咨询公司波士顿咨询集团(Boston Consulting Group)表示，有责任执行反盗版法的政府部门中“错综复杂的网络”削弱了打击侵权行为的努力。虽然一些部门对自己的职责范围相对比较清楚，但其它部门在利益上可能会有冲突。行业专家由此指向了国家工商行政管理总局。该局下属的地方办事处提供商业许可证，并管辖商标侵权。一些管理机构不仅人手不足，而且还常常泄密。
中国政府强调，他们正在寻求解决问题的途径。去年，在大约1万起知识产权案例中，只有一小部分提起了刑事诉讼。但现在，仿冒者面临着更为严厉的刑事制裁，其中包括监禁。“事实上，政府所取得的进步是显著的，”来自中国社科院的教授李明德(音译)说。波士顿咨询公司称，许多中国法官缺乏足够的法律培训，这是一个缺陷。而且，在保护贸易机密方面也没有强有力的法律，从而使防止盗用专利、商标和版权变得难上加难。
李先生认为，这个问题在一定程度上反映了中国经济和发展政策不断发展的本质。他将中国发展的现阶段与五、六十年代的美国进行比较。中国依靠的是劳动力，而不是创新，这为仿冒者的繁衍滋长提供了温床。
但是，尽管他们能看到这对于自己企业的威胁，但许多外国公司在保护技术不受侵犯方面一直行动迟缓。“如果你不进行自我保护，别人就会侵犯你的权利，”林先生说，“在研究一些外国企业的各种产品时，我们看到了差距。如果你现在不花钱，你以后也是要花钱的。”
在中国知识产权政策的问题上，美国的工业、贸易官员当属最直率的批评家之一。他们的抱怨主要集中于奢侈品、软件、娱乐和工业产品。
美国官员提出了两点要求：一是加紧对本地制造商的突袭；二是让更多的违法者接受监禁的严惩。但一些行业专家认为，美国官员从他们所代表的公司那里获得的帮助极少。“美国和欧美公司在向各自政府提供可量化的信息方面一直做得很不成功，”一位在中国工作的(外国)律师说，“如果公司不提供数据，就不应该抱怨。”
假冒行为是一个全球性的问题，而不只限于中国。但在美国和欧洲，据海关部门估计，在边境被没收的假冒产品中，中国占据了绝大多数。去年，被美国海关没收的中国假冒产品的总值上升了47%。
负责知识产权的中国国务院副总理吴仪一再向美国知识产权官员表示，取得实效需要时间。但有迹象显示，中国将加强国际间的合作。去年，如果没有中国警方和美国国土安全部的携手合作，不可能捣毁中国DVD出口团伙的老窝。结果，警方没收了大约21万张DVD，并摧毁了几个仓库。
但是，要找到在本地加强执法力度的方法，中央政府将需要若干年的时间。解决办法之一是由外国公司在中国采取法律行动。能否获得成效尚不确定，但这会给予他们对于其过程一定的控制权。如果Starbucks想要结束与Starsbuck之间的任何混淆，它可能不得不自己采取行动。
