No Faking It

Zhou Fukuan, a cheerful 32-year-old who runs the DVD stand across the street from my old Shanghai apartment, just smiles when I tell him that the U.S. has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China's rampant infringement of intellectual-property rights. "I hadn't heard that," he says, "but this sort of thing happens a lot—the government says they'll crack down on [piracy]. It usually lasts a few days, and then ..."

He doesn't need to finish the sentence. And then ... nothing. China is always promising to crack down on intellectual-property abuse. In fact, the...