This chapter reviews intellectual property developments in China in its first decade of WTO membership, focusing primarily on developments within the organization. It shows how China has transformed from a passive taker of international intellectual property norms to one that has slowly assumed the additional roles of both a norm shaker and a norm maker. The chapter begins by providing an overview of reforms China undertook in the run-up to the accession. It examines the low profile China maintained in the WTO in the first few post-accession years. It also acknowledges Chinas limited interest in international intellectual property norm-setting, including its rare submission to the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade. The chapter then examines the recent U.S.-China WTO dispute over the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights and its high-profile intervention in the June 2010 meeting of the TRIPS Council. It concludes with a discussion of Chinas increased assertiveness in the international intellectual property arena, including the WTO.
