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Engaged in the fight against copyright piracy and counterfeit standards, the Standardization Administration of China (SAC) has successfully dismantled a number of nefarious online networks, ensuring standards users get the real McCoy.
In recent years, widespread use of the Internet has significantly increased the number of standards copyright violations, which can leave a company at risk of using illegal copies of standards. Yet the quality of a country’s goods and products is crucial for competing on international markets, and intellectual property infringement is seen as a threat to economic success – and to the successful application of standards. China is no stranger to this notion and has made substantial efforts to curb these online practices.
So in October 2010, a special campaign was set up, dubbed “Sword Net Action”, to deal with Internet copyright piracy. During a special operation, a total of 512 complaints and reports from all over the country resulted in 190 administrative cases and 93 (presumably criminal) judicial cases. In addition, 137 sets of servers and related equipment were confiscated, and 201 Websites were referred for shut-down. The less traditional forms of piracy, such as the infringement of copyright in industrial standards, received considerable news coverage.
China in action
Clearly, the unauthorized copies available on peer-to-peer or file exchange platforms on the Internet or on Webshops are problematic. Here’s one example: Chinese Web services companies such as baidu.com, the second most popular search engine after Google, and docin.com, employ a “digital coin” system, which allowed users to upload thousands of pirated standards to their digital libraries. The coins earned may then be used to “purchase” English-language and Chinese translations of textbooks and other written material.
Determined to stamp out the problem, SAC, ISO’s member for China, took action to crack down on copyright piracy, which resulted in Baidu removing more than 500 000 illicit documents, while Docin deleted over 160 000 illegal copies of ISO standards.
Measures took many creative forms: doc88.com implemented a new screening application that automatically shields the upload of illegal copies; baidu.com devised a unique “DNA anti-infringement” system to compare the contents of official and illegal copies; and used a clever “keyword filtering system” that automatically searches and deletes illegal copies. As for 3dportal.cn, it simply closed down its Standards Forum, explicitly banning users from uploading counterfeit standards.
