Top corporate leaders from around the world gathered in New York Monday to unveil new strategies to fight worldwide piracy and counterfeiting. From VOA's New York Bureau, correspondent Barbara Schoetzau reports the business leaders say an epidemic of intellectual property theft undermines creativity, jeopardizes investments and creates consumer health risks.

Over 290,000 counterfeit software CDs and COAs (certificates of authenticity) have been confiscated in China.

Hundreds of Microsoft customers provide evidence to help FBI and China’s Public Security Bureau crack counterfeiting ring.

The Colgate-Palmolive Company warned on June 14 that counterfeit toothpaste falsely packaged as "Colgate" has been found in several dollar-type discount stores in four states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

ICC commended on June 13 G8 leaders for continuing to address the complicated and growing epidemic of counterfeiting and piracy at the annual G8 Summit, but expressed disappointment at the lack of substance on these issues in the outcome statement released at the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm last week.

The summary of the counterfeiting and piracy study released today by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) represents the most comprehensive and thorough investigation of the problem ever conducted, and a vital step towards a more complete understanding of the scope and harmful effects of this illegal activity, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) said.

The leaders of the G8 must take bigger, bolder steps to beat back counterfeiting and piracy, the International Chamber of Commerce said on May 25th in a letter sent to G8 leaders in advance of their Summit Meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany.

This conclusion was confirmed at a conference hosted by BSA, the US Department of Justice and REACT and attended by law enforcement and intellectual property rights holders.

The top U.S. official in charge of protecting intellectual property rights says Chinese counterfeiters are often one step ahead of China's intellectual property rights enforcement agencies.