China to Open "Infringement-Free Zone" in Beijing

According to the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham-China), the government of Beijing's Chaoyang District signed a memorandum of understanding on October 10, 2006 to establish the "Chaoyang Model Anti-Copyright and Piracy-Free Zone" for protecting intellectual property rights:

The Zone is the first government-industry initiative of its kind in the intellectual property field in China. It aims to protect the rights of intellectual property owners for the benefit of producers, distributors and retailers of legitimate copyright products. The Model Zone initiative differs from other IPR protection programs in that it will devote significant resources to developing legitimate sales channels for original copyright products. These initiatives will help merchants who currently sell pirated products convert into sales channels for legitimate copyright products.