American sound equipment maker Bose has filed a complaint to the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), alleging that several companies, including from China, have infringed on the company’s copyrights on earpiece devices.
The companies accused of copyright infringement include Misodiko, Phonete, and TomRich of China; Smartomi Products in Canada, Sudio AB of Sweden, and American companies such as 1More USA based in San Diego, California. All specialize in making audio electronic products such as earphones.
At press time, Bose did not respond to an email requesting clarification on which products it claims those companies have violated copyright.
In recent months, the United States has pressured China to address its intellectual property (IP) theft practices by proposing punitive tariffs on Chinese imports. The move has sparked retaliatory tariffs by the Chinese regime.
The recent American tariffs focused on Chinese acquisitions of U.S. tech firms that have developed proprietary technology, in addition to U.S. joint ventures feeling pressured to transfer IP to their Chinese counterparts in exchange for market access. But Chinese production of counterfeit goods is another major problem.
China is the source for more than 70 percent of the world’s physical trade-related counterfeiting, valued at more than $285 billion, according to a 2016 report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The Washington-based nonprofit International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition estimates that intellectual property crimes annually cost U.S. businesses several hundred billion dollars in lost revenues.
An April report by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office also named China as a primary IP infringer, to be placed on its “priority watch list.”
