On China's Intellectual Property Rights Protection Online

Online people conduct all kinds of business activities, such as promoting the sales of products and services, reading newspapers, watching TV and movies, and sending business messages by e-mail, by e-voice and by e-fax. Computers with access to the Internet are defined by the United Nations as the fourth media characterized by instantaneousness, openness, limitlessness, boundlessness and globalization. With the development and popularization of the Internet and the advance of the information technology in China, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) violations online have frequently occurred in e-business activities. IPRs protection online has posed a great challenge not only for business managers and officials, but also for judges and lawyers because the rapid development of the Internet has created a legal vacuum governed by no laws in IPRs violation and protection online in China.. The paper at first classifies IPRs into several categories, then reveals China's serious problems and challenges of IPRs violations online and stresses the necessity of China's IPRs protection online. Finally it puts forward some suggestions concerning IPRs protection online.