A recent survey conducted by Nanjing
University indicates that most urban Chinese know piracy is
illegal but do not feel guilty about buying pirated products.
The survey, supported by the China National Social Science
Foundation, involved 552 urban residents in Nanjing, the capital of
east China's Jiangsu
Province.
The majority of those surveyed agreed that bootleg goods could
jeopardize the publishing industry and more than 90 percent said it
was necessary to crack down on unauthorized publications.
However, 31.3 percent of those polled said piracy can never be
stopped because of the special situation in China. About 7.8
percent strongly agreed on this point.
The survey also shows that 62 percent are unable to tell pirated
goods from genuine articles. Twenty percent said there is no
difference between the two.
Zhang Zhiqiang, head of Nanjing University's Science Publishing
Institute, said the survey shows that most Chinese have mixed
attitudes towards piracy.
The publishing industry and related government departments
should encourage people to boycott pirated products, Zhang
said.
(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2005)