There's encouraging news out of China on the intellectual property front, but the latest news from France isn't nearly as uplifting, at least not for those who believe existing copyright laws need protecting.

Let's start with China. According to this report at Korea.net, the PRC has sentenced a Chinese man to 18 months in prison and fined him $3,800 for counterfeiting and selling Samsung-branded mobile phone batteries. The sentence was handed down last November, according to the report, but was made public only last week—perhaps part of China's aggressive bid to counter its reputation for lax enforcement of anti-piracy laws, an effort that appears to be gaining momentum in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Now to France. According to the Web site out-law.com, operated by the British law firm Pinsent Mason, a new group calling itself the French Pirate Party formed last month for the sole purpose of lobbying to loosen copyright laws in the country. Modeled after a similar group in Sweden, which claims to have 7,300 members, FPP launched with a six-point reform agenda that includes "the end of authors' rights as currently constituted" to "free Internet access for the entire population."

If the recent passage of France's so-called iTunes bill is any indication, FPP could get a sympathetic ear from French lawmakers.—Suzanne Stevens

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