Counterfeit Olympics

The Olympics Ceremonies have shined a media spotlight on China, and this Sky News piece illustrates the counterfeiting occurring on the streets of Beijing.

The article illustrates two main points - first, that the Chinese government treats its own intellectual property (the Olympic mascots) with greater care than other countries' intellectual property, levying stiff fines and jail sentences for violators of its own IP while mostly turning a blind eye towards other infringement. And second, that these harsher penalties barely make a dent in the trade of counterfeit goods, with Beijing street vendors openly selling fake Olympic wares.

The irony is that through routine lax intellectual property enforcement, the Chinese government has created an environment where its own intellectual property is routinely violated.