US asks N.Korea to respect intellectual property rights

The U.S. government on Tuesday urged North Korea to respect intellectual property rights after Pyongyang made unauthorized use of Disney characters in a stage performance for the Stalinist country`s new young leader.

U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told a news briefing that Washington takes intellectual property rights “very seriously” but that the U.S. cannot raise the issue as it would with other countries because of lack of formal relations with North Korea.

He also said the U.S. government will focus on broader issues for which North Korea should respond to its people’s demands, asking reporters to ask Disney about legal issues with the North’s unauthorized use of the company`s characters.

On Saturday, North Korean state TV showed performers dressed as Disney characters including Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh. The Walt Disney Co. says it has never authorized use of its characters in the performance.