Washington - The U.S. Trade Representative on Monday lodged a request for a formal case against China at the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body, after months of criticizing the country's handling of piracy of U.S. intellectual property.

"The United States and China have tried, through formal consultations over the last three months, to resolve differences arising from U.S. concerns about inadequate protection of intellectual property rights in China. That dialogue has not generated solutions to the issues we have raised, so we are asking the WTO to form a panel to settle this dispute," said USTR spokesman Sean Spicer.

The U.S. is seeking "to eliminate significant structural deficiencies that give pirates and counterfeiters in China a safe harbor to avoid criminal liability," in addition to "improve[d] enforcement procedures at China's border, and to give copyright owners more tools to prevent the production of unauthorized copies in China."

The move comes four months after the Bush administration initially mounted its challenge against China, and two months after unsuccessful talks between the two countries.

The U.S. also has several other intellectual property-related cases lodged against China currently under consideration at the WTO.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/2892u3 (USTR statement)

http://tinyurl.com/ypmuua (Reuters)