China doesn't like its products to be copied, Rest of world rolls its eyes

I saw this article online today and it made me chuckle.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Supposedly ancient Chinese terracotta warriors on show at a German museum are fakes, China confirmed Thursday, condemning the organizers for cheating the public.

The Hamburg Museum of Ethnology has offered refunds to about 10,000 visitors who have already viewed the "Power in Death" exhibition since it opened on November 25 as police probed the authenticity of the warriors.

The display of eight clay warrior figures, two horses and 60 smaller objects has remained open, with a sign stating that its authenticity was in dispute.

The cultural heritage administration in Shaanxi province, home to the 2,000-year-old clay army, said it had been "outraged" because it had not sent any original terracotta warriors to Germany recently.

Oh, boo hoo. So someone in Germany didn't do their homework, and the Chinese are upset because people are paying to see terracotta soldiers that aren't authentic.

The hypocrisy here is staggering. China, perhaps the world's worst offender when it comes to breaking copyright laws and respecting patents, is accusing another nation of ripping off its ancient artwork. Western film and music companies, clothing designers, electronics manufacturers, and countless other industries are losing millions a day to Chinese copycats, and they are raising a stink over eight statues that may or may not be fake.

I hope bloggers in China can see past this blatant attempt at anti-Western propaganda and expose their readers to the truth. Probably not, though.