Autodesk has chosen to work with Salzburg to help it integrate its city data into a detailed 3D model of the city. Scientific personnel from Salzburg University’s Center of Geoinformation will assist with the implementation of Digital City for the city of Salzburg. This combination of city data with realistic visualization and simulation tools reportedly will allow Salzburg to view and interact with the city landscape and to analyze the impact of future urban planning, tourism, and economic development projects before they are built.

“I am very pleased to announce the launch of this pilot project which holds considerable significance for modern urban administration. With Autodesk as a leader in design innovation and the University of Salzburg drawing on its many years of experience in the geoinformation area, we have two internationally acknowledged partners joining forces to realize this future project. The digital city model will help cities like ours better understand the impact of proposed urban projects,” said Heinz Schaden, mayor of the city of Salzburg. “This type of pilot program will help us better understand how we can create an attractive and sustainable future for Salzburg and its people.”

“Salzburg is one of the most progressive, well known cities in the world and so they are a natural choice to participate as our first pilot city. Our Digital City technology can help the city and community of Salzburg communicate, collaborate, and deliver projects in a more effective — and sustainable — way,” said Lisa Campbell, vice president, Autodesk Geospatial. “We are proud to work with them and our longstanding partner, the University of Salzburg, to create a business tool that will help Salzburg plan and operate sustainable development essential for tomorrow’s high-performance cities and economies.”

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A better IPR protection system has safeguarded the legitimate rights of IPR owners and maintained fairness in the market, Wu said when talking about the achievements made in recent years.

The Chinese government will attach more importance to reinforcing the current regulations and frequent amendments of IPR protection, patent, trademark and copyrights, she added.

Elsewhere, EU and China is in talks to map out an IPR protection plan to enhance bilateral cooperation on the issue, said the European Union (EU) Tax and Customs Commissioner Laszlo Kovacs.

It’s true that 80 percent of the counterfeit goods seized on EU borders in 2006 came from China. And it’s true too that IPR protection is a major issue for EU businesses. But Kovacs said the Chinese government is taking proper legislative steps to stem the flow of counterfeits both at home and abroad.

“We have already witnessed a decrease (in counterfeit goods from China),” he said. “I do hope that not in the long but in the medium term there will be some progress so that the proportion from China will decrease (further).

“In 2006 and 2007 several persons were taken to court in China, who were manufacturers of counterfeit articles and landowners who operated markets where counterfeit goods were sold. So that shows China takes it (the problem) seriously.”

China has made welcome progress in setting up an IPR protection mechanism, he said. There have been visible improvements in enforcement, and the Chinese Customs legislation is now quite similar to that of the EU. Kovacs, however, said the country still needs to take some extra steps such as establishing stronger administrative cooperation between the Customs in the EU and China.

That would lead to better enforcement of laws. Also, it would be a visible sign at the EU’s willingness of the political level to support China’s efforts in this field.

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