Famed Shanghai pirates' paradise faces closure

Shanghai is planning to close the famed Xiangyang Market, known for pirated versions of name-brand goods.

Officials have yet to set a date for the closure, local newspapers reported yesterday.

For years, rumours have circulated in the media that the market would be closed or moved from its inner-city location.

But this time could be for real. Vice-Mayor Zhou Taitong said the market would be closed after the failure of repeated crackdowns on sales of fake products.

Foreign companies view the market as a symbol of the Shanghai government's failure to protect intellectual property.

Mr Zhou said Xiangyang had tainted the city's image and about 80 per cent of Shanghai's piracy cases originated from the market.