This study examines the law of intellectual property in China from imperial times to the present. It draws on history, politics, economics, sociology, and the arts, and on interviews with officials, business people, lawyers, and perpetrators and victims of 'piracy'. The author asks why the Chinese, with their early bounty of scientific and artistic creations, are only now devising legal protection for such endeavors and why such protection is more rhetoric than reality on the Chinese mainland. In the process, he sheds light on the complex relation between law and political culture in China. The book goes on to examine recent efforts in the People's Republic of China to develop intellectual property law, and uses this example to highlight the broader problems with China's program of law reform.
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"This ambitious, pioneering work makes available a wealth of new material. It is presented in a richly textured context of the forces—historical, cultural, and political—that have shaped China's approach to the drafting and enforcement of legislation relating to copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Scholars of Chinese law and comparative law and specialists in the law of intellectual property will welcome its publication."—R. Randle Edwards, Columbia University School of Law
"Alford offers a rich mine of materials for those studying intellectual property rights in China. Reviewing Chinese civilization from imperial days to the present, he seeks to answer why intellectual property law has never taken hold in China."—Choice
"A wealth of information and analysis on Chinese views of intellectual property rights. . . . The strength of Alford's book is its ability to step back from the heated debates surrounding China's actions and look at the subject in its entirety. The reader is thus able to gain a deeper understanding of the issue and the obstacles that both China and the United States must overcome if a longlasting and mutually beneficial solution is to be found."—The China Business Review
"In this timely and important study, . . . Alford's point is that intellectual property issues are inextricable from broad historical, political, economic, and cultural contexts. . . . Of much broader interest than may be at first apparent."—Business H
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“This ambitious, pioneering work makes available a wealth of new material. It is presented in a richly textured context of the forces—historical, cultural, and political—that have shaped China’s approach to the drafting and enforcement of legislation relating to copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Scholars of Chinese law and comparative law and specialists in the law of intellectual property will welcome its publication.”—R. Randle Edwards, Columbia University School of Law
“Alford offers a rich mine of materials for those studying intellectual property rights in China. Reviewing Chinese civilization from imperial days to the present, he seeks to answer why intellectual property law has never taken hold in China.”—Choice
“Alford offers a rich mine of materials for those studying intellectual property rights in China. Reviewing Chinese civilization from imperial days to the present, he seeks to answer why intellectual property law has never taken hold in China.”—Choice
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By raiderdave
Format:Paperback
With China joining the WTO at the end of last year it has become more important for Westerners to understand this aspect of Chinese society. Under the WTO, China is obligated by the rules of the TRIPs Agreement (Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property)amongst other traditional trade rules.
To join the world trading community, China has obligated itself to enforce intellectual property rights (Copyright, Trademark, and Patent protection)
This book traces the long Chinese history of these rights and gives an important insight into the cultural differences that exist and are ingrained in Chinese society compared to an almost reflexive understanding of these rights in the West.
An important contribution for readers with an apprecition for historical sweep analysis of an issue.
To join the world trading community, China has obligated itself to enforce intellectual property rights (Copyright, Trademark, and Patent protection)
This book traces the long Chinese history of these rights and gives an important insight into the cultural differences that exist and are ingrained in Chinese society compared to an almost reflexive understanding of these rights in the West.
An important contribution for readers with an apprecition for historical sweep analysis of an issue.
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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24
books
cite this book:
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- Far Eastern Economic Review on 8 pages
- Imperial China (Architectural Guides for Travelers) by Charis Chan on 4 pages
- Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1 by William Theodore De Bary in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Rise of the Western World: A New Economic History by Douglass C. North in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Cultural Heritage: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies (v. 1, v. 2, v. 3 & v) by Laurajane Smith in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 100 books this book cites
- The Politics of Piracy: Intellectual Property in Contemporary China by Andrew C. Mertha on page 3, page 79, and page 222
- Law and Social Justice (Topics in Contemporary Philosophy) by Joseph Keim Campbell on page 7, page 126, and page 141
- China and the World Trading System: Entering the New Millennium by Deborah Z. Cass on page 347, and Back Matter
- Beyond Liberal Democracy: Political Thinking for an East Asian Context by Daniel A. Bell on page 236, and Back Matter
- Understanding China's Legal System by C. Stephen Hsu on page 82, and Back Matter
See all 24 books citing this book
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