Now, there's a catchy headline. Yes, the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry has called on the European Union to partner on a US led World Trade Organisation case which calls on the Chinese government to tackle their country's continuing content piracy problems better. The IFPI has made its statement following the publication last week of European Commission figures which reveal that 93% of all pirated CDs and DVDs seized by European customs officials originated from China.
IFPI Regional Director for Europe Frances Moore told reporters: "These statistics underscore the urgent need for the EU to step up pressure on China before the WTO. China is producing and exporting millions of pirate products around the world. This has to stop".
The EU joined the consultation stage of the US's WTO content piracy case against China as a 'third party' at the end of April, but the IFPI wants them to become a co-complainant with America, which they reckon would pile additional pressure on Beijing officials to properly tackle their weak copyright protection and enforcement systems.
The EC figures said that China now accounts for 93% of seized CDs and DVDs, up from 51% in 2005. The increase in percentage is most likely due to crackdowns on black market CD and DVD manufacturers in Eastern Europe, though the figures may also have been slightly swayed because the amount of discs seized overall by European customs officials is up considerably, up by 139% on last year.