US Gov. Pursues Chinese Pirates with Nintendo's Support

“Inadequate protection of intellectual property rights in China costs U.S. firms and workers billions of dollars each year, and in the case of many products, it also poses a serious risk of harm to consumers in China, the United States and around the world," said Schwab. "However, while the United States and China have been able to work cooperatively and pragmatically on a range of IPR issues...we have not been able to agree on several important changes to China’s legal regime that we believe are required by China’s WTO commitments.

In response to the announcement, Nintendo of America pledged its support to the USTR. According to Nintendo, more than 7.7 million counterfeit video game products have been seized from Chinese factories and retailers across the past four years, with an estimated $762 million lost to piracy in 2006.

"Nintendo will continue to work with the U.S. government while aggressively pursuing counterfeit Nintendo products in China," claimed Nintendo of America senior director of anti-piracy Jodi Daugherty. "We're pleased the U.S. government is pushing China to comply with its trade commitments in an effort to protect the lifeblood of the copyright and trademark industries."