中国特别行动打击冒牌迪士尼商品
HONG KONG — Foreign brands have put up with rampant counterfeiting in China for years, but at least one company appears to have found a fairy godmother.
香港——虽然外国名牌多年来一直忍受着中国猖獗的冒牌假货，但至少有一家公司似乎已经找到一位保护神。
On Thursday, a Chinese government agency singled out the Walt Disney Company as the focus of a new nationwide “special action” aimed at stamping out imitation goods that infringe on Disney’s trademarks.
周四，一个中国政府机构选择迪士尼公司作为全国一个新“专项行动”的焦点，这次行动的目的是铲除侵犯迪士尼商标的仿制品。
Producers and peddlers of fake Snow White dolls or “Frozen” backpacks were put on notice by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which pledged in a statement to carry out a special one-year “crackdown on infringement of Disney’s registeRed trademarks.”
假《白雪公主》(Snow White)娃娃或假《冰雪奇缘》(Frozen)背包的生产者和商贩已接到中国国家工商行政管理总局的通知，工商总局承诺将用一年的时间，“在全国开展保护迪士尼注册商标专用权专项行动。”
China has for years waged periodic campaigns against counterfeit goods, but those have tended to focus on broad industries or product categories. For example, one national action this summer, called Red Shield Net Sword, targeted the online sale of counterfeit goods.
多年来，中国会不时地发起一些打击假冒商品的运动，但这些运动往往针对广泛的行业或产品类别。比如，今年夏天的一个被称为“红盾网剑”的全国性行动针对的是网络售假。
But the latest campaign appears to be giving Disney top billing.
但这次最新行动似乎专门是为迪士尼开展的。
“I would describe it as unusual,” said Edward Chatterton, a partner at the law firm DLA Piper in Hong Kong, who specializes in intellectual property work related to China. “I don’t think I’ve seen a specific brand being protected in this sort of comprehensive way before.”
“我会用不同寻常来描述这项行动，”香港欧华律师事务所合伙人爱德华·查特顿(Edward Chatterton)说，他专门从事与中国知识产权相关的工作。“我觉得，我以前没有看到过用这种全面的方式保护一个具体商标的行动。”
Representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
迪士尼的代表没有立即回复请求对此事置评的电子邮件。
The trademark agency said the move was meant to coincide with the opening next year of the Shanghai Disney Resort, the first such theme park in mainland China, which Disney is building alongside state-owned companies for $29 billion. In addition to heightened national action against fake Disney goods, the push also includes designating an area of 2.7 square miles around the Shanghai park as a “Disney trademark key protected area.”
工商总局表示，此次行动的时间，与上海的迪士尼乐园和度假区明年春天开张相配合。上海迪士尼乐园是中国大陆的第一家这类主题公园，迪士尼正和几家国有企业一起建设这个项目，总投资290亿元。除了打击假冒迪士尼产品的全国行动外，通知还把上海迪士尼乐园及度假区7平方公里的核心区和周边地区划为“迪士尼商标的重点保护区”。
The objective was to “safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, promote a market environment of fair competition and uphold China’s international image in protecting intellectual property rights,” the agency said. The push started last month, it added.
此次行动的目的是“保护商标权利人注册商标专用权，维护消费者合法权益，促进形成公平竞争的市场环境，维护我国保护知识产权的国际形象，”工商总局说，并表示，此次行动已于上月开始。
On a visit on Thursday to Silk Market in Beijing, an indoor bazaar of shops that has been known for selling counterfeit or unlicensed branded goods, and also for being the subject of periodic raids by trademark enforcement officials, plenty of toys and clothes featuring characters from Disney tales were for sale. Some carried official-looking logos; others did not.
周四在北京的“秀水街”时，仍能看到许多以迪士尼故事人物为主题的玩具和衣服在铺面上出售，有些带着看似官方的标志，有些则没有。“秀水街”是一个室内集市，以销售假名牌或未经授权的商品而闻名，也是注册商标执法人员周期性行动的对象。
At a shop called Luodinuo, one salesman said the store started selling Disney dresses a month ago.
一家名为“罗迪诺”（音译）的商店的销售人员说，店里一个月前开始销售迪士尼裙装。
“The most popular ones are from ‘Frozen’ and ‘Snow White,’ ” he said, referring to popular Disney movies. “We are authorized, we have a license,” he added.
“最受欢迎的是《冰雪奇缘》和《白雪公主》，”这名销售人员说，他指的是两部流行的迪士尼电影。他还说，“我们有授权，有许可证。”
Other retailers did not claim to be authorized resellers but nonetheless vouched for the authenticity of their goods. Bargaining is common. A saleswoman at another store offered a toy doll of Andy, a character from the movie “Toy Story,” for an asking price of 420 renminbi, or about $66.
其他零售商没有声称自己是授权经销，但仍担保他们出售的商品是真的。在“秀水街”，讨价还价是常事。另一家商店的销售员拿出一个用《玩具总动员》(Toy Story)人物“安迪”(Andy)的形象制造的玩具，开口要价420人民币（约66美元）。
“Our products are from factories that export,” she said. “They are better quality.”
她说，“我们的产品来自专门生产出口商品的工厂，质量更好。”
Foreign businesses say that China has made progress in recent years in cracking down on fakes, including the introduction last year of tougher penalties for trademark violations, but that huge room for improvement remains.
外国企业说，中国近年来在打击假货上取得了进展，包括去年对商标侵权采取了更严厉的惩罚，但仍有巨大的改进空间。
A survey this year by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, published with Bain & Company, a consulting firm based in Boston, found that 85 percent of respondents said they believed China’s enforcement of intellectual property rights had improved in the last five years.
中国美国商会(American Chamber of Commerce in China)和总部在波士顿的贝恩咨询公司今年的一项调查显示，有85％的受访者表示，他们认为中国的知识产权执法在过去五年里有所改善。
However, 80 percent said ineffective enforcement still remained a concern. Two-thirds said that the risks of intellectual property or data being leaked were greater in China than in other countries.
但是，仍有80％的人认为执法不力仍然是个问题。有三分之二的受访者说，知识产权或数据泄露的风险在中国比在其他国家更大。
“On the intellectual property front, with trademarks and patents, what we’ve seen is historically people said China’s legislation is pretty good, but the real problem is enforcement,” said Stephen Shih, a partner in the Beijing office of Bain and one of the survey’s authors.
“在知识产权方面，以及在商标和专利方面，我们看到的是，从历史上的来说，人们认为中国的法律相当不错，但真正的问题在于执法，”贝恩公司常驻北京办事处的合伙人石教立(Stephen Shih)说，他是上述调查的作者之一。
“It’s an ongoing concern for companies, but the trajectory is positive,” he added.
“这是企业持续关注的一个问题，但趋势是好的，”他补充说。
For Disney and for other brands with a presence in China, the significance of the trademark enforcement agency’s new campaign will be determined by how stringently it is enforced. It also remains to be seen whether its effects can outlast the one-year period for the action.
对于迪士尼以及中国市场上的其他品牌，工商总局这次新行动的意义将取决于其执法严格的程度。这次行动的效果是否能延续到一年执行期之后也还有待观察。
“It’s a no-lose situation for authorities really,” said Jack Clode, who is based in Hong Kong and is a co-founder of the Blackpeak Group, a research and advisory firm that has worked on trademark enforcement issues in mainland China.
“对当局来说，这其实是一件没人会输的事情，”家住香港的杰克·科劳德(Jack Clode)说，他是从事研究和咨询的百峰公司(Blackpeak Group)的创始合伙人，公司做过中国大陆地区商标执法方面的工作。
“Authorities will keep Disney happy and will get a few wins against counterfeiters — but the question is, What sort of long-term effect will this have?” he said. “People will be watching with great interest to see how this develops.”
“当局会让迪士尼很高兴，还会在打击造假上获得几个胜利。但问题是，这次行动会有什么样的长期效果？”他问道。“人们将怀着极大的兴趣来观察其如何发展。”
