[ukoki]

I live in China. A friend of mine was recently assaulted in a bar. Family of the perpetrator came to the hospital with the policeman assigned to the case and pressured my friend to accept money in lieu of pressing charges. Depending on how much 'guanxi' the perpetrators family have, if he does press charges, documents and evidence may get 'lost' and my friends employer could get in trouble with the local government, lose it's license etc. Although I can't talk about patent law, I know there are really no 'laws' in the city I live in - everything is negotiable and rests on how much you can spend and what your standing is with government officials. I love living here, but China is a mafia state.

[sebastianmarr]

Thanks for your insights.