On November 20, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, with the help of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, produced in Beijing its Business Confidence Survey 2007. According to the survey, "insufficient IPR protection" has become the second biggest barrier to the operation of EU enterprises in China.

 The Survey represents the opinions of over 200 EU enterprises operating in China. It shows that EU enterprises on the whole have confidence in their business in China owing to the strong momentum of China's economic development and the rise of the domestic purchasing power resulting therefrom. However, many enterprises still have some concerns, among which "insufficient IPR protection" is the second biggest barrier to the operation of EU enterprises in China, following only insufficient transparency and consistency of new polices. 

 Mr. Wuttke, Chairman of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, gave his comments: "Why do some companies investigated take a pessimistic view on IPR protection in China? This is because they think that there is much talk, but not enough is being done. The China Intellectual Property Office has done a good job, and it has a well-structured organization, but they have run into numerous difficulties and challenges in the IPR field. We hope that more IPR professionals, including more IPR judges, will enter this field, and more courts will be established especially for IPR disputes. We also hope that the punitive measures taken by China in the IPR field will be more severe. The legislation on IPR is good, but as far as punitive measures are concerned, they give IPR infringers easy opportunities to evade punishment."

                                                                                               (Translated by Li Yan)