What Is Good About Copyright Piracy in China?

Danwei published an interesting article of Beijing bureau chief of Red Herring Kaiser Kuo.

Kuo is looking at the benefits of copyright infringement:
"Piracy has provided an inexhaustible source of inspiration for musicians and filmmakers, raising the bar significantly for them, and created larger and more discerning audiences."

Exposure to western culture and values "will lead the Chinese people inexorably to increase policial openness and deepened reform", according to Kuo. Of course he sees also the other side of the coin:

" [..] an equally persuasive case could be made that rule of law, to include respect for intellectual property rights, is ultimately the more critical variable in attaining those same goals."

Besides Kuo gives a short historical overview, beginning in 1992, of the evolution of copyright piracy.

Read Kuo's article here.