A Panda's Home is Not Her Domain

There has been some criticism about the US media still referring to China as a "communist" state, because of the slow but steady creep of capitalism into China, which has partly contributed to China's emergence as a global economic super power. While the Chinese goverment has relaxed some control over state affairs (especially those that will make them money), the Communist Party of China still has final say.

This article illustrates one of the quirks of China's quasi-capitalism. A man in China bought domain names (including "tuantuanyuanyuan.com", "tuantuan.com", and "yuanyuan.com") as well as similar names using Chinese characters, hoping to sell the domains for profit. If the Chinese government takes issue with the domain names, he might be out a buck or two whether or not he has legitimate buyers for the domain names.

"Though the Websites don't involve trademarks or corporate names, the giant pandas are of public interest. Profits from these names shouldn't be enjoyed by a unique person," said Gu Huimin, an intellectual property rights attorney with Shanghai NORSN Law Firm.
"If the government thinks the Websites tarnish the seriousness of panda-giving issue or influence the relationship between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, it may cancel them. Then buyers can face a serious loss, if they pay a lot (for the domain names)"

Peter S. Goodman, a reporter for the Washington Post, describes China's quasi-capitalism this way in a recent transcript:

"Whether we think it's wonderful or awful, China is run by the Communist Party of China, which rules without elections to select the leaders, and without a free press or indepedent judiciary to check its actions. More and more in the popular press -- particularly the financial press-- it seems fashionable to talk about China's embrace of capitalism as a done deal. In fact, the power of Party officials to determine who gets land and credit remains a central feature of the modern Chinese economy. Huge state-owned companies are guaranteed access to raw materials such as coal and steel at cut-rate prices, while private companies have to pay a market rate. I do agree with one thing you imply: China defies labels. It is neither communist nor capitalist, and any attempt to describe with one throwaway adjective is a disservice."

For more information on domain names click here.