[Rick Lee]

It's really rampant in China. And any Mainlander will defend it to the end too. They really think they shouldn't have to pay full retail price for it. The gov't. does some token sweeps in advance of visiting U.S. trade missions or gov't. officials, but it's all window dressing. I heard Microsoft is starting to salt some of their Windows programs that will crash computers using pirated software and the Chicoms are outraged about it. IIRC, Da Vinci code came out in the theatres in China when I was last there and I saw CD's of it on the street during the same trip. You cannot have a conversation on this with a Mainlander. They are totally convinced there's nothing wrong with it and their gov't. does nothing about it. By the same token, the Motion Picture Assoc. doesn't take it too seriously either. They say they do. But when's the last time you heard them make a stink or any kind of awareness campaign to our Commerce Dept. or Trade Rep.?