Comment on "IPR needs a holistic approach" (Oct 21, China Daily)

I was pleased to read the article, which set out an interesting and positive view of intellectual property in China. In the United States, far too many corporations and intellectual property attorneys have developed a strong prejudice against China and are unwilling to re-assess their views in the light of current information.

The reality is that China has a very good system in place to protect the intellectual property of companies and individuals alike. And this is true regardless of whether the intellectual property right (IPR) holder is a Chinese or foreigner.

It is also true that China has not always had such an effective system. But the need for such a system in China arose just a couple of decades ago. The massive and sudden expansion of Chinese manufacturing capacity in the 1980s and 1990s gave the chance to unscrupulous individuals to engage in counterfeiting on an unprecedented level.

It took a while for the Chinese legal system - just as it took a while for the US legal system - to catch up with the new realities inherent in Internet-based violations of intellectual property.

It is a shame that so many companies in the West have written off China as a place where IPR is unprotected.This false assumption limits them in what they could be doing by working with and investing in Chinese companies and its market.And it unfairly undermines the valiant efforts of Chinese businesspeople to reach their full potential in the global market.

Such misconceptions are to no one's benefit and need to be abandoned.

William M. Mansfield, via e-mail

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(China Daily 11/10/2010 page9)