Beijing's famous Silk Alley and some of the city's other popular markets have been given small fines for copyright infringements, state media reported yesterday.
Silk Alley -- a tourist magnet that trades in jeans, bags and belts, many of them seemingly counterfeit -- was ordered to pay 20,000 yuan (US$2,500) on Tuesday for "failure to fulfill its management duties," the Beijing Times said.
The municipal administration of industry and commerce meted out the penalty in a public gathering also attended by police and the copyright administration, according to the paper.
Thirty cases were processed, with the fines reported in the press ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 yuan.
The fines came as US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez visited Beijing to press China over rampant copyright abuse, which US businesses claim costs them hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
However, the size of the fines may not be enough to convince the US and other foreign critics that China is being sufficiently harsh on its copyright violators.
Silk Alley is already fighting a high-profile legal battle after being fined 200,000 yuan for selling fake goods carrying the names of luxury brands Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada.
The Beijing intermediate court ordered Silk Alley to pay the fine in December, although the market is appealing the landmark ruling.
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