View a recorded video of this hearing.

For several years, this Commission has noted that intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement in China remains weak, and counterfeiting and piracy continue to be widespread across many sectors of the Chinese economy. This is the case despite significant changes to China's intellectual property rights regime since China began preparing for accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). More recently, China's policy on indigenous innovation and utilization of other market access requirements to force technology transfer have put non-Chinese firms at a competitive disadvantage in China, resulting in the loss of U.S. market share. Witnesses will examine trends in counterfeiting, piracy, and the enforcement of intellectual property rights in China; how China is pressuring foreign companies, including U.S. firms, to transfer advanced technology to China; and the impact on American jobs and businesses. Witnesses include experts in technology policy, industry, and labor.

Witnesses:

Christian Murck, President, American Chamber of Commerce in the People's Republic of China

Thea Mei Lee, Deputy Chief of Staff, AFL-CIO

Greg Frazier, Executive Vice President for Worldwide Government Policy, Motion Picture Association of America

Richard P. Suttmeier, Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, University of Oregon

Statement submitted for the record by Robert W. Holleyman, II, President and CEO, Business Software Alliance

Statement of Representative Sander Levin, Cochairman, Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Statement of Senator Carl Levin, Member, Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Statement of Representative Chris Smith, Member, Congressional-Executive Commission on China

A complete transcript of this CECC Hearing is available online in PDF and TEXT.

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The Congressional-Executive Commission on China

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Chaired by Senator Byron Dorgan and Cochaired by Representative Sander Levin, consists of nine Senators, nine Members of the House of Representatives, and five senior Administration officials. Its mandate is to monitor human rights, including worker rights, and the development of the rule of law in China, as well as maintain a database of information on Chinese political prisoners. The Commission was formally established in 2000 as part of the legislation to grant China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) when China entered the World Trade Organization. For more information, visit the Commission's Web site, www.cecc.gov, and subscribe to the Commission's on-line newsletter.