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IP Protection in China - An examination of China’s legislation and enforcement on the protection of foreign IP rights

Lundberg, Jakob LU (2020) JURM02 20201
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Fram till för några decennier sedan, innan ordförande Maos död, var Kina
avstängt från resten av världen. Idag är Kina världens näst största ekonomi och en mycket attraktiv destination för utländska investeringar. Medan denna ekonomiska explosion har medfört enorm teknikutveckling för Kina, har vissa observatörer påstått att dessa framsteg har kommit genom det som kallas "tvångsöverföring av teknik". Tvingad tekniköverföring enligt definitionen i denna uppsats är när en regering tvingar utländska investerare att lämna ut hemlig information rörande sina immateriella rättigheter till antingen sin inhemska partner eller regeringen som ett krav för att göra affärer i landet. Denna typ av tekniköverföring kan leda till förluster av... (More)
Fram till för några decennier sedan, innan ordförande Maos död, var Kina
avstängt från resten av världen. Idag är Kina världens näst största ekonomi och en mycket attraktiv destination för utländska investeringar. Medan denna ekonomiska explosion har medfört enorm teknikutveckling för Kina, har vissa observatörer påstått att dessa framsteg har kommit genom det som kallas "tvångsöverföring av teknik". Tvingad tekniköverföring enligt definitionen i denna uppsats är när en regering tvingar utländska investerare att lämna ut hemlig information rörande sina immateriella rättigheter till antingen sin inhemska partner eller regeringen som ett krav för att göra affärer i landet. Denna typ av tekniköverföring kan leda till förluster av immateriella rättigheter för utländska investerare och bryter mot Kinas åtaganden i Världshandelsorganisationen WTO. På grund av dessa anklagelser inledde både USA och EU tvister mot Kina i WTO för att förmå Kina att upphöra med dessa övergrepp. Medan tvisterna pågick antog Kina en ny utländsk investeringslag som till synes syftar till att ta itu med kritiken i WTO.

Denna avhandling syftar till att analysera vilka effekter den nya lagen kan ha på frågan om tvångsöverföring av teknologi. För att göra detta ställer avhandlingen tre forskningsfrågor. Först, vad är skälen till anklagelserna mot Kina om systematiska intrång i immateriella rättigheter, och är anklagelserna giltiga? För det andra, hur har Kina svarat på dessa anklagelser, och kommer den nya utländska investeringslagen i Kina att vara ett tillräckligt svar? Slutligen, om den utländska investeringslagen inte kommer att vara ett tillräckligt svar, hur kan tvångsöverföring av teknologi tas itu med? Genom att analysera bestämmelserna i den nya utländska investeringslagen och ta
hänsyn till innehållet i anklagelserna mot Kina, hävdar denna uppsats att även om lagen representerar en positiv förändring, är det osannolikt att den kommer att ta itu med de systematiska problem som identifierats som underliggande orsaker. Uppsatsen avslutas med att föreslå en lösning på de problem som kvarstår i den nya utländska investeringslagen. (Less)
Abstract
Up until a few decades ago, before the death of Chairman Mao, China was closed off from the rest of the world. Today, China is the second largest economy in the world and a very attractive destination for foreign investment. While this economic explosion has brought with it tremendous advancement in technology for China, some observers have alleged that these advancements have come through what is called “forced technology transfer”. Forced technology transfer as defined in this thesis is when a government compels foreign investors to divulge proprietary information regarding its’ Intellectual Properties to either its domestic partner or the government as a requirement to do business in the country. This type of technology transfer can... (More)
Up until a few decades ago, before the death of Chairman Mao, China was closed off from the rest of the world. Today, China is the second largest economy in the world and a very attractive destination for foreign investment. While this economic explosion has brought with it tremendous advancement in technology for China, some observers have alleged that these advancements have come through what is called “forced technology transfer”. Forced technology transfer as defined in this thesis is when a government compels foreign investors to divulge proprietary information regarding its’ Intellectual Properties to either its domestic partner or the government as a requirement to do business in the country. This type of technology transfer can lead to losses of Intellectual Property for foreign investors and is in violation of China’s commitments in the World Trade Organization. Because of these allegations, both the US and the EU initiated disputes with China in the WTO in an effort to end these practices. While the disputes were ongoing, China passed a new foreign investment law seemingly designed to address the criticisms in the WTO.

This thesis sets out to analyze what effects the new law may have on the issue of forced technology transfer. To do this, the thesis poses three research questions. First, what are the grounds for the allegations against China of systematic Intellectual Property Right infringements, and are the allegations valid? Second, how has China responded to these allegations, and will the new foreign investment law of China be a sufficient response? Lastly, if the foreign investment law will not be a sufficient response, how can forced technology transfer be addressed? By analyzing the provisions of the new foreign investment law and considering the substance of the allegations against China, this thesis argues that while the law represents a positive change, it is unlikely to sufficiently address the systemic issues identified as the root of the problem. This thesis concludes by proposing a solution to the issues that the new foreign investment law does not adequately address. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Lundberg, Jakob LU
supervisor
organization
course
JURM02 20201
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
Immaterialrätt, Intellectual Property Law, Chinese Law, Trade Law
language
English
id
9010668
date added to LUP
2020-06-16 10:53:20
date last changed
2020-06-16 10:53:20
@misc{9010668,
  abstract     = {{Up until a few decades ago, before the death of Chairman Mao, China was closed off from the rest of the world. Today, China is the second largest economy in the world and a very attractive destination for foreign investment. While this economic explosion has brought with it tremendous advancement in technology for China, some observers have alleged that these advancements have come through what is called “forced technology transfer”. Forced technology transfer as defined in this thesis is when a government compels foreign investors to divulge proprietary information regarding its’ Intellectual Properties to either its domestic partner or the government as a requirement to do business in the country. This type of technology transfer can lead to losses of Intellectual Property for foreign investors and is in violation of China’s commitments in the World Trade Organization. Because of these allegations, both the US and the EU initiated disputes with China in the WTO in an effort to end these practices. While the disputes were ongoing, China passed a new foreign investment law seemingly designed to address the criticisms in the WTO.

This thesis sets out to analyze what effects the new law may have on the issue of forced technology transfer. To do this, the thesis poses three research questions. First, what are the grounds for the allegations against China of systematic Intellectual Property Right infringements, and are the allegations valid? Second, how has China responded to these allegations, and will the new foreign investment law of China be a sufficient response? Lastly, if the foreign investment law will not be a sufficient response, how can forced technology transfer be addressed? By analyzing the provisions of the new foreign investment law and considering the substance of the allegations against China, this thesis argues that while the law represents a positive change, it is unlikely to sufficiently address the systemic issues identified as the root of the problem. This thesis concludes by proposing a solution to the issues that the new foreign investment law does not adequately address.}},
  author       = {{Lundberg, Jakob}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{IP Protection in China - An examination of China’s legislation and enforcement on the protection of foreign IP rights}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}