Seizures of counterfeit and pirated items reported last week include CDs and movies and luxury goods in the US…Pirated software products were also seized in Singapore and Malaysia.

Cases last week include Chinese authorities putting a second drug safety official on trial for alleged corruption which led to substandard and counterfeit drugs finding their way onto the world market… Two Russian film companies recently won a case against the owner of a bookshop in New York who was distributing illegal CDs and videos of films the Russian companies had produced… DuPont has taken legal action to protect its global Intellectual Property by announcing enforcement actions in four countries against local companies infringing its patents.

Policy developments reported last week include the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the China Film Copyright Protection Association (CFCPA) launching a nation-wide anti-piracy campaign at the 10th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF)… In India the MPA has launched an anti-piracy movie trailer aimed at making Indian moviegoers aware of the laws protecting copyright…Also in India the film industry has once again opposed a proposal by the Government for a tax on films to constitute a fund for fighting video piracy.

Studies and reports out last week include Canada’s Science and Technology Committee report entitled Counterfeiting and Piracy are Theft which urges the Parliamentary Committee for stronger measures against counterfeiting and piracy.